YORKTON — The Yorkton Film Festival opened to a packed house as community members gathered for the opening-night screening of Meadowlarks, presented by Painted Hand Casino.
The 2025 Canadian drama film, directed by Saskatchewan’s own Tasha Hubbard, tells the story of Cree siblings separated by the Sixties Scoop who agree to meet for the first time as adults.
Inspired by Hubbard’s acclaimed documentary Birth of a Family, the narrative explores what family means when built from scratch.
Following its festival run, the film is scheduled to begin streaming this June on Crave, CBC Gem and APTN.
For Hubbard, a member of Peepeekisis Cree Nation, the screening marked a significant milestone.
Her first film, Two Worlds Colliding, premiered at the Yorkton festival in 2005.
"Yorkton is one of the very first festivals that I went to, and being from Saskatchewan, that was really special," Hubbard said.
While she has returned several times with various nominations, Meadowlarks marks the first time her work has opened the festival, as well as her first dramatic script project after a career built on documentaries.
Hubbard praised the event for maintaining its accessible atmosphere over the past two decades, describing it as a beautiful networking environment where traditional barriers between filmmakers and industry professionals are removed.
Investing in authentic Indigenous stories
Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the Canada Media Fund, introduced the film and shared how the story has stayed with her since she first saw it.
Creighton highlighted the courage it takes for the siblings to show up for each other while facing the fear of rejection.
"What makes this film so powerful resides in its authenticity," Creighton noted. "It's led by an Indigenous director, an Indigenous co-writer, and features an absolutely phenomenal all-Indigenous cast."
Creighton expressed pride in the Canada Media Fund’s investment in the production, emphasizing that when Indigenous creators tell their own stories, the narrative rings unmistakably true, building global audience connections and deepening cultural understanding at home.
Because Meadowlarks tackles the heavy emotional realities of Indigenous family separation, the production employed Wendy McNab as a dedicated on-set wellness support person.
McNab, who grew up on George Gordon First Nation, monitored daily scripts to anticipate scenes that might trigger heavy emotional responses from the cast and crew.
"When we're telling these harder stories, it can be overwhelming," Hubbard explained. "We just wanted to make sure that we had support for everyone."
McNab provided a safe space for spontaneous connection while carefully balancing her role so as not to disrupt the actors’ creative immersion.
She also served as a daily cheerleader, helping establish morale-boosting traditions such as having the entire crew clap whenever heavy production equipment had to be moved up stairs.
The evening set a vibrant tone for the rest of the festival week, bringing filmmakers and film enthusiasts together under a shared love for impactful storytelling.
