Documentary by two-spirit Cree filmmaker shares journey through IVF to parenthood

A two-spiritCree filmmaker is sharing her journey to parenthoodthrough in vitro fertilization (IVF)in a new short documentary.

The film mctct: Many Bloodlines follows Cree filmmaker Theola Ross and her European partner's journey through IVF from finding a donor, to discussing what it will be like to raise a child in a biracial family and how they can honour and preserve Indigenous bloodlines.

"This is one role in my life that I've never had to question," saidRoss of parenthood.

"It fits perfectly."

Ross said she hadnever seen any two-spiritIVF journeysdocumented or stories aboutparenthood, adoption and fostering options for two-spiritpeople shared.

"For me, it was quite an emotional process to want to be a parent," she said.

"So I felt like it was a powerful emotional story to tell."

Ross is originally from Cross Lake, Man.,but is currently based in Toronto.

She began documentingthe process before the idea to turn their story into a documentary even happened.

"That was just something I wanted to do for myself, to keep me grounded," said Ross.

"You want to absorb and feel everything and take in every process that you can and I'm grateful that I did."

The film openswith Ross'sexperience growing up as a queer person on reserve and the struggles that came with that.

Through the film the couple discussrace and culture, being in a biracial relationship and how that has played into family dynamics.

"All of Canada should know these stories," said Ross.

In one scene, Ross says that the first language her baby is going to hear willbe Cree.

Ross said the baby, who is now a year old, understands Cree even though her first word was "backpack" because she loves Dora the Explorer.

mctct: Many Bloodlines won the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary at the 2020 Hot Docs Festival.