Unscripted: Film Edition featuring Tom Wilson and Shane Belcourt

Join us for the screening of Beautiful Scars, a Canadian documentary film directed by Shane Belcourt and released in 2022. Starring musician Tom Wilson and based in part on his 2017 memoir of the same name, the film depicts his exploration of the Mohawk heritage that was hidden from him by his adoptive parents, including his process of reconnecting and building a relationship with his birth mother after learning about this secret in his 50s. The film premiered at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and received a Canadian Screen Award nominations (Best Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series, Best Direction and Best Picture Editing in the Documentary Program) at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023.

Following the screening we will move into conversation with artist Tom Wilson and director Shane Belcourt. Our conversation will be moderated by Josh Lambier, artistic director of WORDS. 

Screening 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM)

In partnership with WORDS, we are offering this as a hybrid event. If you are unable to join us in person, you can attend the event virtually. CLICK HERE to register.

ABOUT TOM WILSON

Musically, Tom Wilson is known for his work with the bands Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Junkhouse and Lee Harvey Osmond, the latter receiving a 2020 Juno Award for the album Mohawk. Wilson’s memoir, Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and the Road Home, in which he reveals the impact of discovering his Indigenous heritage at the age of 53, became a national bestseller. He was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Canada in June 2023 for, “his multifaceted contributions to the arts in Canada, notably as an iconic musician, as well as for his advocacy of Indigenous communities in Canada.” Decades ago he began dedicating more of his time and energy to his second passion, painting. Painting has become a way for him to connect with his Mohawk identity and convey his feelings on the injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples. The exhibit includes Fading Memories of Home, an installation piece by Tom located in TAP’s LAB203 Gallery. The idea for the installation with accompanying video and sound recording was seeded during a family dinner with Jane Lazare, Tom’s biological mother. She recalled a traumatic experience from residential school when the grade five teacher had asked the room of Indigenous students to look at those around them, and then told the class these would be the last Indians they would ever know.

ABOUT SHANE BELCOURT

Shane Belcourt is a two-time CSA-nominated Director, with award-winning narrative and documentary works in both film and TV. His debut feature film TKARONTO, had a theatrical release, was sold to SuperChannel and Air Canada, and was showcased in both the TIFF Indigenous Cinema Retrospective and the UCLA Film & Television Archive traveling exhibition, “Through Indian Eyes: Native American Cinema”.  Shane also directed CHANIE WENJACK which Walrus Magazine noted as “the Heritage Minute Canada needs to see”.  His most recent feature film, RED ROVER, premiered at the Whistler Film Festival, opened the Canadian Film Festival and was released in March 2020 to glowing reviews. On the documentary side of things, Shane directed KAHA:WI, which features dancer and choreographer Santee Smith. It premiered at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, aired on APTN and CBC Docs, and won a CSC Award for Best Cinematography in 2016, along with a CSA Best Director nomination. Shane co-directed (with Lisa Jackson) the CBC one-hour INDICTMENT: THE CRIMES OF SHELLY CHARTIER which won Best Doc at imagineNATIVE. In the Fall of 2020, AMPLIFY,  aired on APTN, which Shane created and showran. He was a Consulting Producer (writing room story editor) on CBC”s new drama series, THE TRICKSTER. Currently, Shane is in production on the feature documentary, BEAUTIFUL SCARS,  on internationally acclaimed songwriter Tom Wilson. He is also writing a feature narrative based around a family tale entitled DUMBBELL, which received development funding from Telefilm Canada. Shane is an alumna of the TIFF Talent Lab and NSI’s Totally Television programs, a member of the DGC.

This event was made possible with support from Film London.