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Jingle Dress – First Dance documents the healing journey of Jules Koostachin (Cree, Attawapiskat). In honour of resolving the harm done to her family because her mother was held against her will in the Canadian Native Residential School System, Jules invites a first generation Canadian of European descent to be her witness while she pursues the dream of dancing at a pow wow for the first time in a Jingle Dress. 

Director James Buffin grew up in Toronto and had never heard of the Canadian Native Residential School System prior to meeting Jules. His acceptance of her purpose; to heal from the damage caused by her mother’s ten-year childhood incarceration, was based entirely on friendship. Awareness of the amount of trust placed in him only dawned as the depths of the trauma were shared over time.