A Huron County resident is re-releasing their documentary about a Blackfoot humourist and disabilities activist, ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Sandy Greer will be screening "Soop on Wheels" at the Huron County Museum on Thursday at 7 p.m. and at the Grey Roots Museum on Friday at 2 p.m.
The film, which premiered in 1998 and was invited to nine international film festivals, tells the story of political cartoonist and writer Everett Soop, an indigenous man with muscular dystrophy whose cutting political cartoons and critical views regularly put him in conflict with others.
"He was really the most remarkable person I've met in my life," said Greer. "A beautiful soul and very loving and caring, and he didn't see that in himself. I took the rough cut of the film to him before I distributed it to get his approval, and he cried. He didn't think of himself as a loving person... he would present himself as the curmudgeon, the grouch, so on. But he really cared deeply about everybody."
Soop passed away in 2001. He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General in 2005 for his work advocating for those with disabilities.
Greer says now was the time to show the film to the region, citing a backlash to the strides that have been made examining Canada's cultural history and treatment of First Nations.
"That's what motivated me this year, I thought: how can I counter that hate and willful ignorance that is becoming worse in our society and being directed at many groups of people?" she said. "I'm doing it through love and respect and using my film story about Everett, who was an amazing Blackfoot political cartoonist who did a lot of satire about the social injustices throughout history with amazing cartoons."
The screenings are free to attend and will feature closed captioning for the hard of hearing.
For those unable to make it, you can find the documentary available to rent on tënk.
