After Joseph is released from jail, he faces inner demons that stand in the way of true freedom.
Part of the 2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival commission/mentorship program.
The Director
Bruce Thomas Miller is Anishinabe from Matachewan First Nation in Canada. 43 years of age and raised in rural communities (off reserve) in Northern Ontario, from Foleyet, Hornepayne to Timmins. 20 years ago, he attended Cambrian College in the Theater Production Program receiving his diploma. Acquiring a variation of skills from carpentry, lighting, stage management, etc etc. He then had an opportunity to attend Vancouver Film School in their Film Production program, to which he received a diploma. He then moved to Toronto to try and establish a career in the arts but support was not there for aspiring Indigenous artists. He then found himself passing through Calgary and working on the front lines of a homeless shelter. 14 years had passed and dealing with drug interventions, crisis situations, suicide interventions and mental health crisis’ had left him with PTSD from the years of front line work. He then found solace in his artistic side, his writing. He is now working on his PTSD through the arts by getting back in touch with his artistic side. And hopes to continue his artistic journey.
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Director Statement
I was inspired to write Conviction through my healing journey with post-traumatic stress syndrome and from my own experiences in front-line social work. I was also inspired by statistics that told a story of a problem that few Canadians know of. Incarcerated Indigenous peoples have been an ongoing issue and need to be looked at, and we as a community should have thoughtful conversations about this issue and resolve such atrocities. While making this film, I gained first-hand knowledge from my supporting actor, Jimi Walker, who has spent time in the prison system and the effects such an environment does on someone. I hope this film initiates change in our own correctional system and its treatment of the Indigenous peoples.