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Hidden Histories: Buried stories, brought to light
For most of her early life, filmmaker Barri Cohen knew her immediate family to consist of her parents, two brothers and half-sister. But one day, in a moment of emotional disclosure, her father revealed the existence of two more siblings. Cohen never knew her half-brothers Alfred and Louis, who were dropped off as toddlers at the Huronia Regional Centre, a now-closed hospital and home for children with developmental disabilities. In the wake of a successful class-action lawsuit, Cohen is finally able "to peel back the half-truths and secrets" around her two now-deceased siblings. Speaking to the families and survivors of the centre, she pieces together the story of her brothers' lives through shocking stories of abuse, humiliation and trauma. But these interviews also provide hope and light, as the survivors support each other in their battle for recognition and healing. Aisha Jamal