Rustic Oracle facts for kids

Rustic Oracle is a Canadian drama film released in 2019. It was directed by Sonia Boileau. The movie tells the story of a family searching for their missing daughter.

The film explores the important topic of missing Indigenous women and girls. It stars Lake Kahentawaks Delisle as Ivy and Carmen Moore as Susan. They play a younger sister and mother looking for their missing teenager, Heather (Mckenzie Kahnekaroroks Deer). They decide to search for Heather themselves because police action on her case is slow.

Other actors in the film include Kevin Parent, Margo Kane, Alex Rice, Brittany LeBorgne, and Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs.

This was Sonia Boileau's second full-length film. It was her first movie made in English. Filming took place in 2018, mostly near Oka and Kanesatake, Quebec.

The film's name, Rustic Oracle, comes from how it uses the dandelion. The dandelion is a special symbol in the movie. Director Sonia Boileau explained that people often see dandelions as weeds. But they are actually very strong flowers. They hold powerful medicine and are seen as magical. When you blow on them, they are thought to carry your wishes and memories. This idea shows how we might see someone differently from who they truly are.

How the Film Was Shared

The film first showed at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival. This was its big premiere.

It was planned to be released to the public in March 2020. However, this plan changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The film continued to be shown online at different film festivals. Later, when movie theaters reopened in the summer, it played for several weeks in Canadian cities.

Since then, Rustic Oracle has become available on many online platforms. These are called video on demand services. People can watch the movie this way in Canada and other countries.

Awards and Recognition

Rustic Oracle and its cast and crew have won several awards. They have also received many nominations for their work.

• In 2020, Sonia Boileau was nominated for a Directors Guild of Canada award. This was for Best Direction in a Feature Film.
• Lake Delisle and Carmen Moore both won acting awards in 2019. They received these at the American Indian Film Festival.
• The film won two awards at the 2020 Leo Awards. It won for Best Picture and Best Lead Performance by a Female (for Carmen Moore).
• Carmen Moore also won the Best Actress award from the Vancouver chapter of the ACTRA Awards.
• In 2021, Carmen Moore was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. This nomination was for Best Actress at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards.