PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : SEPTEMBER 18 , 2023
CONTACT : Charlene SanJenko 604-741-7985 charlene @ regenimpactmedia . com
“ Coming Home For the Children ” short film premieres October in Sechelt , Vernon , and online
September 18 , 2023 . Gibsons , BC , Canada .
Charlene SanJenko , Indigenous Storyteller , Founder , and Media Visionary of PowHERhouse and reGEN media along with her creative team announce the premiere of her inaugural short film next month .
Filmed in the scenic valley of the Splatsin Nation , the southernmost tribe of the Secwepemc Nation in the interior of British Columbia , Coming Home For the Children is a short documentary profiling a seven-term former First Nations Chief , Wayne Christian - whose Indian name , Wenecwtsin , means Big Voice That Speaks the Truth - and hosted by SanJenko as an adult-adoptee and foster care survivor .
The film ’ s screening will open the Sechelt Arts Festival at the Raven ’ s Cry Theatre on Friday , October 13th , premiere at the Vernon Towne Theatre on Tuesday evening , October 24th and virtually on Monday afternoon , October 30th after a home community screening in Splatsin .
Festival co-producers Diana Robertson and Ross Powell are “ honoured and delighted to present the premiere showing of Charlene SanJenko ' s new film , ‘ Coming Home For the Children ’, during our inaugural First Festival Films evening showcasing eight incredibly talented Coast filmmakers .”
“ We applaud Charlene and the teams at PowHERhouse and reGEN media for bringing this important story to life ,” says Enderby & District Branch Manager , Andrew Van Dokkumburg . “ We all have a role to play in helping to heal and better understand our Indigenous communities and through this partnership , we can ensure that the film is accessible to all with the hope that those who see it will be inspired to create even greater impact .”
The film travels back and forth between two parallels : the reclaiming of the meaning of “ home ” for both Charlene and Chief Wayne as they meet for the first time in the Splatsin Nation ; and our responsibility - as adults and parents - to intergenerational healing for the children . This was modeled by parents , grandparents , and a young Chief back in 1980 with the Indian Child Caravan led by Chief Wayne himself in 1980 that marched across British Columbia in a fight for Indigenous peoples ’ rights over the jurisdiction of their children , at which time Charlene was 11 years old and unaware of Chief Wayne ’ s advocacy for the very same rights she had lost as a child in foster care .
1 regenimpactmedia . com