Sep 16 - 18 2022
Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children

Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children

Presented by Hot Docs at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

Filmmaker Barri Cohen leads part detective story, part social history in Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children as she uncovers the truth about Alfie and Louis, her two long-dead half-brothers. They were institutionalized at the infamous Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia in the 1950s, a now-closed hospital for intellectually disabled children, marked by a brutal history of patient abuse, neglect and cruelty. Their lives were cut short—with one brother buried in secret in an unmarked grave—but their tragic story stands as a microcosm of the Western world's callous treatment of disabled children and youth throughout the 20th century. In the wake of a successful class-action lawsuit, Cohen speaks to the families and survivors of Huronia, memorializing their pasts and recognizing their painful journeys towards recovery and redemption. A central question preoccupies Cohen throughout the film: how do we allow ourselves to dehumanize the most vulnerable people in our care?

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Dates & Times

2022/09/16 - 2022/09/18

Location Info

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

506 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1Y3