More than a year after 14-year-old Samuel Bird went missing in west Edmonton, his mother Alanna is channeling her grief into a creative effort to honour his life and shed light on the experiences of Indigenous youth across Canada.
The teens body was recovered in October after months of determined searching by police and community members.
Bryan Farrell, 38, has been charged with second-degree murder, with the court proceedings currently adjourned until November.
In the midst of this ongoing pain, Alanna has partnered with Indigenous filmmaker and musician Corben Bowen on a narrative feature film titled “Every Day Gets Closer to Winter”.
Still in development and seeking funding, the project already has an early trailer available online.
Bowen was approached by Alanna several weeks after the discovery of Samuel’s body, connected through mutual friend Dakota Bear, who had helped coordinate community searches and support for the family.“The film we’ve basically been writing throughout the past eight months is me talking to Alanna, talking to Samuel’s stepdad, talking to the sisters… Collecting all this information.
As the film gathers support, Bowen plans to include hundreds of names submitted by other families affected by similar tragedies in the end credits.
“If I’m not making this, someone needs to make this,” he said. “I think it’s as simple as that.”
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