For Gail Maurice, filmmaking is more than a career, it’s an opportunity to show the world her culture and to help preserve and promote Métis history, language and heritage. Maurice, who is originally from Beauval but currently resides in Toronto, wrote, directed and stars in Blood Lines, a motion picture that tells the story of an estranged Métis mother and daughter struggling to overcome their differences while their world comes crashing down when an alluring woman enters their lives. It was well received on the film festival circuit, had a theatrical run earlier this year and is now available to stream on Crave. 

“I live in Toronto now, but Beauval will always be home,” Maurice told Northern Pride. “Blood Lines is about two women who fall on love, but it’s also about Métis community, identity and culture. I wanted to do a film that celebrated Métis culture because I have never seen a feature film in Canada that actually does that. This is the first film to celebrate Métis culture, identity and language. It highlights the Michif language.” Maurice went on to say, because northern Michif is so specific, there are only five villages where it is spoken – Beauval, Green Lake, Jans Bay, Ile-a-la Crosse and Buffalo Narrows. “I wanted the story to be authentic, so I came home and auditioned our local elders,” Maurice added. “I put a call out for auditions from across the north, but three women from my village were selected to be a part of the film in the end – my mother, Maggie Maurice, as well as Mary Burnouf and Bertha Durocher. They had never acted before, but they knew each other so I figured it would be easier for them if they were together on set where there’s also more than 100 crew members and whatnot.” 

The film was shot over six weeks in North Bay, ON. “Elevation Pictures is the distributor,” Maurice said. “It had its world premier last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and it’s still doing the festival circuit although it has had a Canadian theatrical release already. It was screened in major cities across Canada including Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver, Regina. Meadow Lake also showed it for a couple days at their theatre (Morningstar Cinema). Now, it’s available on Crave. It came out last month.” BIG SCREEN BREAKTHROUGH Beauval women appear in feature film With the film now in the public eye, Maurice is optimistic it will do its part to help promote Canada’s Métis people and everything that makes them unique. “Initially why I did this, well, living in Toronto – when I tell people I’m Métis – many people don’t even know what that means,” she said. “There are many people in Canada who don’t know what a Métis person is. I originally wrote this film 20 years ago, but it has evolved into what you see on screen today. I wanted to tell a story so the world can see who the Métis people are. I hope the take-away is people see we are a unique culture and just know we exist.” 

Meanwhile, Maggie Maurice, Burnouf and Durocher play a collective trio known as the ‘Granny Gang’. Gail Maurice said it was not only exciting to have them on set and be a part of the movie, but to also take them to the premier at the Toronto International Film Festival. “When I brought them from my village to the red carpet, it was amazing to see them be celebrated by this international film community,” she stated. “Everyone was rejoicing, clapping, laughing and crying with them, and that was one of the most precious moments for me – to see people celebrate them.” According to Durocher, she was very honoured to be selected for a role in the movie. “It was a very good experience,” she said. “It was awesome and a lot of work to get the right lines, and the acting took all day sometimes. If a person has the opportunity to act, do it because it’s a really good experience. We also got to speak our Michif language in the movie and the crew was so awesome to work with. They knew it was our first time and they treated us great.” 

Maurice also said it was an incredible experience to work with three respected elders from her community. “It was amazing,” she said. “I wrote, produced and directed this film, but I also acted in it. It’s my second feature film. My first one, Rosie, came out in 2022. Bringing these ladies on the set meant they had to be away from Beauval for six weeks. They didn’t know what to expect at first… They had to know their lines and, if they didn’t, it would cost the production a lot of money. On the first day they realized how serious the whole thing was. We had rehearsals with them for a week, and, while I wasn’t originally planning to appear in the film, northern Michif is known by so few, and we needed someone who could speak it fluently with the Granny Gang. I jumped into the role about a week before we began shooting, but being able to speak the language made it didn’t even feel like work. I was in my glory. The language is so beautiful and we should all be so proud.” Since the film’s release, Maurice said she’s received a lot of positive feedback. “Many people have reached out to me,” she said. “There’s crying, there’s tears, there’s pride, it’s been really great feedback… I tried to shoot a film that showed what it’s like to live in Beauval – the calmness, the quiet, the peacefulness.” 

Looking ahead, Maurice is currently working on a television series and two feature films. She also hasn’t ruled out a project that would reunite the Granny Gang on the big screen. “I’m hoping to do kind of like a sequel with the Granny Gang where the Granny Gang takes Vegas,” she said. “Their acting careers may not be over yet, and I know they had such a great time on set.” According to Durocher, this is something she would gladly be in favour of. “I would be so happy to be able to do another movie with the Granny Gang,” she said. In closing, Maurice said the people of the north are extremely talented. “There is so much creativity there, there are so many stories, there are artists, musicians and people should never give up on their dreams,” she said. “It’s difficult, but, with perseverance and never accepting no for an answer, good things can happen.” The community of Beauval has also put its support behind Maurice and the Granny Gang. “These three Beauval elders auditioned and were chosen,” stated former Beauval mayor and current administrator Nick Daigneault. “They flew to Ontario to film and it was an awesome experience from what they’ve told me. And, the movie is amazing. 

Here’s hoping the Granny Gang/ Kohkum Squad meets up again in a future Gail Maurice movie. Our community is so proud and grateful to be included in a production of this caliber. It gave us a chance to showcase our people and our language. The plot of the movie was touching and the comedy relief provided by the ladies was a perfect balance. It was the cherry on top.”