‘Kokum Dorothy’s Story’ selected for Miccosukee Indigenous Film Festival in Miami, Florida – Oct 10, 2026
We are excited to announce that our short documentary film, Kokum Dorothy’s Story: We Can Still Sing and Dance, has been selected for screening at the inaugural Miccosukee Indigenous Film Festival, taking place October 9–12, 2026, in Miami, Florida. It is an honour to be recognized and included in this festival, as it focuses on fostering the exchange of cultures and traditions, and “…supporting the creativity of Indigenous cinema and expression while welcoming audiences to learn, listen, and celebrate Indigenous cultures together.”
The film was selected for the Best Documentary Short Film category, which features films under 35 minutes by an Indigenous creator or representing Indigenous cultures. The screening for Kokum Dorothy’s Story: We Can Still Sing and Dance will take place on Saturday, Oct 10 at 3:00 pm EDT at the Bill Cosford Cinema on the University of Miami Coral Gables campus.
The film, directed by Andy Rutter, features conversations between Cree residential school survivor Dorothy Visser and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan and their journey to develop a graphic novel based on Dorothy’s memories and experiences. Turtle Island Research Cluster Co-leads Drs. Biz Nijdam and Shannon Leddy also participated in the documentary, and provided insights into the unique ability of comics to convey complex histories and engage young readers.
The SCVN’s Turtle Island Research Cluster focuses specifically on Indigenous experiences of residential schools and the ways graphic narratives can contribute to conversations about memory, survivance and the legacy of colonial violence. Documentary filmmaking is an important part of this work, as it explores the process through which testimony becomes visual narrative rather than documenting only the finished graphic novel. Filming the process makes the research itself visible and creates another way for audiences to encounter the project.
‘Kokum Dorothy’s Story’ film poster.
The trailer is available to view below, and the full documentary will be released on our YouTube in early 2027. The graphic novel is expected to be released in September 2027, and information on the graphic novel and on the relationship between Dorothy and Natasha can be found on our website.
We would like to thank Dorothy for sharing her story, Natasha for taking care in turning it into a graphic novel, Biz and Shannon for their work on the project and ongoing support, and our director, Andy for developing the film.
This film is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.