The Grizzlies, which opened to standing ovations at Toronto International Film Festival, will have its European Premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on 20 June where it is nominated for Best International Feature Film. Written by Emmy® Award winning Graham Yost (The Americans, Sneaky Pete, Justified) and by three-time Emmy® Award winning Moira Walley-Beckett (Breaking Bad, Anne With An E), The Grizzlies, directed and produced by Miranda de Pencier, was nine years in the making and shot in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Guelph, and Toronto, Ontario, telling the real story of strength and resilience of Indigenous youth in a way that’s never been seen on film or in mainstream media before.
Overview:
The Grizzlies is based on the inspiring true story of a group of Inuit students in a small Arctic town suffering from one of the highest teen suicide rates in the world. The classmates are initially resistant when the naive and culturally ignorant white teacher from the south introduces them to lacrosse but gradually, as they begin to connect with each other as teammates, the students find inspiration to make profound shifts in their lives. Together as “The Grizzlies”, the players learn to lead each other, gain the support of a deeply divided town, and look to compete in the National Lacrosse Championships. The students ultimately discover that success doesn’t lie in the outcome of a lacrosse game, but instead in their awakened spirits and the awareness that even in the toughest of circumstances there is always the possibility of transformation and hope.