The Cinematheque

“Deer has transformed the most painful experience of her life into a vital human story … It’s safe to say there’s never been a film quite like Beans.”

Jude Dry, IndieWire

Beans is the debut narrative feature of Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer. Based on Deer’s real-life experiences of the Oka Crisis, this semi-autobiographical film channels her memories through the character of Tekehentahkhwa, also known as Beans. We see her navigating the world as a 12-year-old Mohawk girl trying to find her place in a settler-colonial society while living through the armed standoff between the Mohawk communities of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawá:ke and the Quebec police, the RCMP, and Canadian military forces. This powerful coming-of-age story shows us what it was like to be a young Indigenous girl during a turbulent time of violence and racism. The fight to protect the land continues today.

Best Picture
Canadian Screen Awards 2020

Best Canadian Film
VIFF 2020

“With its sensitive portrayal of internal and community conflicts gleaned from lived experience, it is poised to blaze a new trail for the next generation of Indigenous filmmakers.”

Ravi Srinivasan, TIFF