Season 2 of First Contact Premiers this September
Winnipeg, MB – In association with Animiki See Digital Production, Nüman Films and Indios Productions, APTN announced today that it will premiere season two of the documentary-series, First Contact as a three-night television event on APTN starting September 17 at 8 p.m. ET/CT/MT.
The series will continue with episode two on Wednesday, September 18 and episode three on Thursday, September 19. Following the third episode on Thursday, September 19 at 8 p.m. ET/CT/MT, the travelers and some of the Indigenous hosts and producers will sit down in an interactive panel, live on Facebook.
Following the success of season one, this brand-new season once again takes six Canadians, all with varied opinions about Indigenous Peoples, on a unique 28-day exploration of Indigenous communities. The three-part series, narrated by host and social justice activist George Stroumboulopoulos, has proven to be a compelling exploration into Indigenous culture in Canada.
The participants will have their lives turned upside down, their perceptions challenged and their prejudices confronted in this three-part series. This journey will change their lives forever.
The six travelers’ life-changing, 28-day journey into Indigenous communities starts in Kanesatake, QC. The participants are exposed to a new perspective about the Oka Siege and then in Natuashish, Labrador, time spent with the local Innu Peoples sheds new light on its residents and history.
In episode two, the six participants travel south to Thunder Bay, where a number of tragic incidents have exposed racist attitudes towards Indigenous people. Then, a meeting with residential school survivors in southern Ontario shocks the travelers.
In the final episode, the group travels to northern Saskatchewan and face their biggest test yet. There, they meet with people from communities deeply affected by the death and trial of Colten Boushie. Finally, the group travels to Yukon, where self-governance is helping a community flourish.
Indigenous educators and storytellers include:
Ian Campeau, formerly of a Tribe Called Red
Colleen Cardinal, Sixties Scoop survivor
Ellen Gabriel and Elder John Cree, Front line community members at the Oka Siege
Stephanie MacLaurin, community host in Fort William First Nation
Becky Sasakamoose Kuffner, race relations coordinator in Saskatoon
Eleanore Sunchild, legal council for the Boushie family
Debbie Baptiste, Colten Boushie’s mother
“It’s a pretty incredible thing when you see people open their eyes to a part of the country they don’t understand,” said Desiree Single, Manager of Production at Animiki See Digital Production. “We saw it happen in season 1 and wanted to dig deeper into the current issues Indigenous Peoples face while also telling the stories of the past. We are so grateful to have strong Indigenous Peoples from across the country helping the participants gain perspective through first-hand experience and storytelling, and we can’t wait to share those perspectives and how they affected the participants.”
Season 2 began filming in August 2018, prior to the release of season 1.
The following six participants will leave their everyday lives behind to visit Indigenous communities across Canada:
Brennen Kovic
Age: 35
Location: Mississauga, Ont.
Occupation: Sales
Brennen is outspoken, loyal, honest, and is known for being a jokester. Brennen straddles political lines; he feels strongly about LGBTQ+ rights, housing and health care, and believes in being fiscally conservative. He considers himself a person who is helpful and treats people with respect. As a first-generation, Croatian immigrant whose family has seen great success in Canada, he feels that Indigenous Peoples lack the necessary work ethic to succeed, and instead choose to blame others for their problems.
Jackson Way
Age: 19
Location: Midland, Ont.
Occupation: Student
An East Coast resident, Jackson Way has been attending school in Nova Scotia for the last year studying history. But this 19-year-old animal lover calls Ontario home. Jackson has a passion for history and politics and is a creative person. He loves poetry, playing guitar, songwriting and singing, and theatre. He has strong opinions about Indigenous Peoples and feels they receive special treatment. He loves to learn, feels strongly about social responsibility and is always up for a healthy debate.
Laurianne Bencharski
Age: 45
Location: Prince Albert, Sask.
Occupation: Former Corrections Officer
Laurianne is a very active person and is interested in a variety of recreational activities. In her free time, she loves to ride on her ski doo or quad, curl, slow pitch, and spend time at her cabin. Living in Prince Albert, where 40% of the population is Indigenous, she has experienced many negative interactions and feels like a victim. This has led to her harbouring many negative feelings toward Indigenous Peoples.
Larry Harris
Age: 62
Location: Brantford, Ont.
Occupation: Shipping and Receiving
Outgoing and charming, Larry is an opinionated man with a fun-loving exterior. But he holds strong stereotypical views towards Indigenous Peoples and sees them as angry and greedy. Mostly, he feels they are to blame for any hardships they face, and the rest of society has to pay for it. In his free time, Larry loves to spend time at the cottage, fishing, hunting, and cycling.
Samantha Whitehead
Age: 26
Location: Whitby, Ont.
Occupation: Event Manager
When asked how others would describe her, Stephanie said they would call her a dreamer, someone who thinks unconventionally, is friendly and optimistic. Samantha grew up in a tight-knit family and describes her childhood as ‘quite perfect.’ Growing up in the suburbs, she has admittedly grown up in a very sheltered world. Not only does she know nothing about Indigenous Peoples or culture, she claims to have never even met an Indigenous person in her life.
Stephanie Pituley
Age: 36
Location: Tyndall, Man.
Occupation: Stay-at-home mother and co-owner of a trucking business
Stephanie and her family spend lots of time on the road and love traveling to tropical locations during the cold Manitoba winters. Living near Winnipeg, she associates being Indigenous with homelessness, addiction and crime. But, she has recently discovered that she herself has Métis heritage. However, her interest in this discovery has nothing to do with fostering a cultural or spiritual connection. Instead, she is interested in only using it to obtain perceived “perks” for her children.
First Contact is produced by Animiki See Digital Production, Nüman Films and Indios Productions, with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund. Producers are Vanessa Loewen and Desiree Single from Animiki, Jeff Newman and Jocelyn Mitchell from Nüman Films, and Stephanie Scott from Indios Productions. This series is written and directed by Jeff Newman.
About APTN
APTN launched in 1999 as the first national Indigenous broadcaster in the world, creating a window into the remarkably diverse mosaic of Indigenous Peoples. A respected non-profit and charitable broadcaster, it’s the only one of its kind in North America. The network is Sharing Our Stories of authenticity in English, French and a variety of Indigenous languages to approximately 11 million Canadian subscribers. With over 80% Canadian content, APTN connects with its audiences through genuine, inspiring and engaging entertainment on multiple platforms.
About Animiki See Digital Production
One of Canada’s leading producers of Indigenous content, Animiki See Digital Production has been creating original and captivating programs that reflect Indigenous People for over 10 years. Recent projects include the annual broadcast concert and celebration of Indigenous Day Live, one- hour dramatic pilot Wynter, and the documentary series “First Contact” based on the Australian series format.
About Nüman Films
Nüman Films is a Gemini Award winning Production Company that produces compelling, original, and entertaining documentary and lifestyle programming for the international and national marketplace. From the rock‘em sock’em rinks in Hockey Brawl (CTV) to the flooded plains of Manitoba in Treading Water (CBC/APTN), and the inner workings of a family in crisis in Being Greene (CBC), Nüman Films has built a reputation for delivering exceptional programming with engaging stories, captivating characters, and a unique perspective. Nüman Films is a full-service production company located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We have worked with a variety of partners and broadcasters including CTV, CBC, Discovery, National Geographic, Bravo!,CityTV, History, MTS, Slice, APTN and OLN.
About Indios Productions
Indios Productions Inc. is a 100% Indigenous owned production company. Stephanie Scott is Anishinabe who has over 15 years of experience working for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, National Film Board and W. She has produced over 100 hours of television including documentary series, a live talk show, national events and short films. Stephanie also worked with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) where she helped manage the gathering of almost 7,000 digital audio and video recorded statements by former residential school survivors and others impacted by the schools. Stephanie is a proud grandmother, and mother.
For more information, please contact:
Unit Publicist
Angie Lamirande
Angie@talktopop.com
APTN Communications
Jacqueline Jubinville
Director of Communications
jjubinville@aptn.ca