Contact Us FAQ Français
Home / Spirit Doctors - DVD

Spirit Doctors - DVD ONF/NFB


Catalogue Number:  NFB535101
Producer:  National Film Board Of Canada
Producers:  Bonnie Thompson, Graydon McCrea
Directors:  Marie Burke
Producing Agencies:  National Film Board of Canada (Montreal)
Subject:  Documentary, Health and Medicine, Indigenous Peoples, Medicine, Religious Studies, Safety
Language:  English
Country Of Origin:  Canada
Copyright Year:  2005
Running Time:  40:01
Closed Captions:  Yes


Click here for pricing

Lyrical and honest, filmmaker Marie Burke journeys inward into the spiritual world of traditional Indigenous medicine, with Dr. Mary Louie (spiritual leader of the Sylx or Okanagan Nation), and her husband Ed Louie. With a lifetime of experience in spirituality, Mary and Ed are steadfastly committed to the practices that keep them accountable to the spirit world, their people and Mother Earth.

In a twist of fate, sound recordist Don Howell is unexpectedly diagnosed with throat cancer during the filming process. He chooses to be treated with modern medicine, and for the first time ever, seeks Mary and Ed for spiritual guidance and healing. Though many healing practices and ceremonies are considered too sacred to be filmed, Mary and Ed decide to allow Don's doctoring to be recorded for the purposes of teaching others.

From the lush Smilkameen Valley of the interior to the cityscapes of Vancouver, British Columbia, Burke reveals a beautiful way of life rarely seen and explores the ongoing debate around the ethics of documenting such sacred ceremonial knowledge.



Browse Our Collection By Subject

View All Subjects