HOW WE STAND

Marie Clements | Canada | 2026 | 107m

In How We Stand, writer-filmmaker Marie Clements follows three sisters through the long aftermath of the Native American Relocation Program that uprooted Indigenous families.

Opening in 1950s Oklahoma, we’re introduced to a single mother (Cara Jade Myers) and her three young daughters. Drawn by promises of opportunity and stability, the family moves to Los Angeles, but their ambitions never materialize, and a traumatic event separates the girls. Twenty years later the sisters have taken vastly different paths: Jessie (Amber Midthunder) is a clinic doctor; Miranda (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) is an activist-turned-actor; and Janey (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) is unraveling under the weight of a trauma she’s never been able to name.

The historical drama carries heavy weight, but Clements doesn’t play it straight — magical realism and a satirical streak run through the film, including a sharp Hollywood western send-up. Each sister’s experiences or racism and institutional violence are unique, yet the three threads are tied together by a shared history that continues to shape their lives, even decades after the separation.

Marie Clements is an acclaimed writer, director, and producer whose award-winning career spans film, television, radio, and live performance. Her feature, Bones of Crows, premiered at TIFF, screened at 34+ festivals, earning 72 nominations and 39 awards. The companion mini-series was CBC/APTN’s top-watched dramatic premiere; Clements won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Drama Series for the episode, To Be Here. She holds honours from WFF, WIFTV, Telefilm, the DGC and APTN.