Rice recognized with critics award

When Kahnawa’kehró:non Alex Rice heard her name announced as Best Supporting Female Actor at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle this week, her first thought was the people around the world whose stories she brought to life through her performance in Tasha Hubbard’s Meadowlarks.

“I’m just really honoured to have the opportunity to take the story and relate it to the world on behalf of people who have no voice, and to be able to present that in a way that people can watch it and have discussions, have dialogue, and have understanding,” she said. “People can be seen and heard because this is a true story, and I’m using my talents and my abilities to give voice to Native people and their struggles.”

Rice was recognized on Monday night in the Canadian category of the awards for her role as Marianne in Hubbard’s Sixties Scoop narrative, based on her 2017 documentary “Birth of a Family,” which followed the true story of four siblings piecing together their family history after being separated during the Sixties Scoop.

In Meadowlarks, a group of Cree siblings reconnect after growing up apart, having been separated during the Sixties Scoop and adopted into other families or placed in foster care. Rice’s character, Marianne, was adopted into a white family in Antwerp, Belgium, and grew up with little knowledge about her Indigenous identity.

The cast made a name for themselves at the awards with nominations in four categories. Hubbard was nominated for Best British Columbia Director, with Rice’s on-screen siblings Michelle Thrush and Michael Greyeyes earning nominations for their roles in the movie.

Rice said it was an honour to be nominated in the same category as Thrush, and a testament to the power of the ensemble performance.

“These are people who I looked up to and got to work with, so to be in that level of competition right alongside them was extremely validating to me,” Rice said. “All the hard work that I put into the complexity of the role, this really showed me that I did my job well.”

She said that she hopes the film will continue to be recognized on the awards circuit, so that more people can learn about the history of the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing impact it has on Indigenous people.

“All the attention and all these accolades and nominations goes to show that the film is resonating with people and having an impact,” she said. “The more attention on it, the more people can watch the film and experience the story.”

Rice added that she hopes other actors in Kahnawake can continue to be inspired by the success of Kahnawa’kehró:non in the film and television industry.

“I’ve been at this for 32 years now, and to be nominated for an award by a panel of film critics is really amazing, because that’s a tough crowd,” she said. “It’s like I finally hit a milestone, a goal that I’ve had since I was a child. I proved to myself that I am who I always thought I could be.”

[email protected]