''Moccasin Flats'' is a Canadian drama television series that ran for three full seasons. The show, which has aired on the

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN, stylized aptn) is a Canadian specialty channel. Established in 1992 and maintained by governmental funding to broadcast in Canada's northern territories, APTN acquired a national broadcast lice ...

(APTN) and Showcase Television since 2004, is co-produced by Big Soul Productions Inc. (Toronto) and Stephen Onda Productions Inc. (Regina). It takes place in Moccasin Flats,

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

, an urban

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

where the inhabitants struggle to maintain their cultural identity while overcoming poverty, gangs, violence, and racism. The series features award-nominated actor Andrea Menard and original music by

Donald Quan Donald Quan (born 1962) is a Canadian composer of film and world music, best known for writing the scores to television shows '' Relic Hunter'' and '' Mutant X''. Career Born in Toronto, Ontario, and schooled at the Berklee College of Music in ...

. The original incarnation of ''Moccasin Flats'' was as a 2002 short of the same title. This movie was the product of an Indigenous youth media empowerment workshop called repREZentin', which teamed Indigenous youth with industry professionals in an effort to create short films and videos that told their stories. The short told the story of Justin, a young Indigenous man who has just found that he has been accepted to university. While he is grateful for the opportunity, he is afraid to leave his friends and family (particularly his younger brother) behind in the harsh neighbourhood of Moccasin Flats. His fears are compounded when his archrival, who is also the former pimp of his ex-prostitute girlfriend, is released from jail and back into the Flats. The popularity of the short film led to the creation of the ''Moccasin Flats'' television series that starred many of the youth from the original film. The third season of ''Moccasin Flats'' was nominated for three

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...

. It is the first

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

-created, produced, and controlled dramatic series in North America.

Cast and characters

Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born Rose Marie Cardinal; July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress of Cree and Métis heritage. In 2009, she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing ar ...

as Betty Merasty *

Gordon Tootoosis Gordon Tootoosis, (October 25, 1941 – July 5, 2011) was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Pîhtokahanapiwiyin. He was acclaimed for his commi ...

as Joe Redsky * Andrea Menard as Const. Amanda Strongeagle *

Ryan Rajendra Black Ryan Rajendra Black (born June 10, 1973, in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian actor, most noted for his leading role as Silas Crow in the 1994 film ''Dance Me Outside'' and its spinoff television series ''The Rez''. Career A Saulteaux member of ...

as Devlin Day *

Sarah Podemski Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

as Tara * Matthew Strongeagle as Matthew Merasty * Ron Harris as Red * Landon Montour as Jonathan Bearclaw * Candace Fox as Candy *

Jennifer Podemski Jennifer Podemski (born January 1, 1974) is a First Nations (Canadian) film and television actress and producer. Her acting credits include starring roles in the television series '' Tin Star'', ''The Rez'', '' Riverdale'', ''Moccasin Flats'', ...

as Deb Johnson *

Cheri Maracle Cheri Maracle is an Aboriginal Canadian actress and musician of Mohawk-Irish descent. Early life Maracle graduated in 1989 from Prince Rupert Secondary School. At seventeen, she moved to Vancouver to study theatre at Capilano University and the ...

as Mrs. Wolfe

Season synopses

Season 1 (2003)

In the inner-city community of Moccasin Flats, Dillon Redsky has to survive one last summer before he gets out of the ghetto and goes to university to pursue his dreams of becoming a basketball star. Unfortunately for Dillon, some people don't want to see him succeed. Dillon's childhood friend, Jonathan, a local gangster and pimp, tries to make Dillon's life a nightmare when he falls for one of his sex workers and tries to get her off the streets.

Season 2 (2004)

Jonathan has given up his life of pimping and drug dealing in order to be reunited with his girlfriend and son. He is working hard to turn his life around and be a good father and boyfriend, but when his debts start piling up, the temptations of ghetto life get the better of him. He decides to use his home-based vitamin company as a cover for a

crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

operation and run the other drug dealers out of the neighbourhood.

Season 3 (2006)

Now that Jonathan has cleaned up his act, a new pimp has taken over and there is an influx of very young girls working the streets of Moccasin Flats. When the cops continually turn a blind eye to these dead or beaten youngsters, Candy, a local social worker, launches her own investigation—risking her own life as she tries to find the pimp and get him put behind bars.

Streaming

In 2017, the series was released online on the

Canada Media Fund The Canada Media Fund (CMF, french: Fonds des médias du Canada - FMC) is a public-private partnership founded on April 1, 2010 by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian cable industry. It is used to fund the creation of original ...

's Encore+ YouTube channel.

''Moccasin Flats: Redemption''

In 2008, a made-for-TV movie based on the television series aired, entitled ''Moccasin Flats: Redemption''."Gritty, disturbing TV movie gets inside Regina thug life". ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

'', May 18, 2008.

References

External links

* {{Showcase programming (Canada) 2000s Canadian drama television series Aboriginal Peoples Television Network original programming 2003 Canadian television series debuts 2006 Canadian television series endings Showcase (Canadian TV channel) original programming Television shows set in Saskatchewan Television shows filmed in Regina, Saskatchewan Television series by Corus Entertainment