Sonia Bonspille Boileau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sonia Boileau
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| Nationality | Mohawk |
| Alma mater | Concordia University, Université du Québec à Montréal |
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Notable work
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Last Call Indian (2011) |
Sonia Boileau is a talented filmmaker from Canada. She is part of the Mohawk Nation. The Mohawk people are a group within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Sonia makes movies and TV shows.
About Sonia Boileau
Sonia Bonspille-Boileau grew up in two places. Her father's family was from Oka. Her mother's family was from Kanesatake. Kanesatake is a Mohawk community.
Her film Last Call Indian (2010) is very personal. It explores her ties to Kanesatake. It also looks at how government actions affected Indigenous life. The film touches on her family's connection to the Shingwauk Indian Residential School. Sonia speaks both English and French. She has created and directed projects in both languages.
Sonia's Education
Sonia has a strong background in film and performance. She first studied dramatic arts. This was at College Lionel Groulx. After that, she studied film at the Université de Montreal.
She continued to learn more about making films. She attended the New York Film Academy. She also studied scenography, which is about designing sets. This was at Université de Quebec a Montreal. Finally, she earned a bachelor's degree in film production. She got this degree from Concordia University.
Sonia's Film Career
Sonia Boileau's first big movie was Le Dep. It was made with a grant from Telefilm Canada. The movie cost less than $250,000 to make. It was first shown at the 2015 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
In 2016, Sonia worked on a project called Native Slam. She teamed up with filmmakers Mike Jonathan and Jeremiah Tauamiti.
In 2017, she wrote and directed a short film. It was called We'll Always Have Toynbee. Cheri Maracle and David Julian Hirsh starred in it. This film won an award in 2018. It was named Best Live Short at the American Indian Film Festival.
Her second feature film was Rustic Oracle. It starred Carmen Moore, Lake Delisle, and Kevin Parent. This movie premiered at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival. Carmen Moore won Best Supporting Actress for her role. Lake Delisle won Best Lead Actress. Both awards were given at the 2019 American Indian Film Festival.
| Film | Year |
|---|---|
| Last Call Indian | 2010 |
| Mouki | 2010-2012 |
| 8th Fire | 2012 |
| Le Dep | 2015 |
| The Oka Legacy | 2015 |
| Ra'saste | 2016 |
| Wapikoni | 2017 |
| We'll Always Have Toynbee | 2018 |
| Rustic Oracle | 2019 |
Awards and Recognition
In 2017, Sonia won the Women in the Director's Chair (WIDC) Feature Film Award. This award helped her get funding for Rustic Oracle. Telefilm Canada also invested in her Rustic Oracle project.
Sonia's film Le Dep received an Honourable Mention. This was at the BC Spotlight and Canadian Images Awards. The award recognized the film for telling a community's story. Le Dep was shown at many festivals. These included VIFF 2015 and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2015. It also won awards for best actress and best narrative feature.
Her 2010 documentary Last Call Indian was nominated for several awards. It was nominated for best feature-length documentary at the 2011 Gemini Awards. It also won the Diversity Prize at the Gala des Prix Gémeaux in 2011.
Mouki is Sonia's French children's TV series. It was nominated for best French children's program. This was at the Rockie Awards in 2011.
