Little Bird showrunner Jennifer Podemski is delivering on her promise to tell authentic Indigenous stories

Q28:49Jennifer Podemski on Indigenous authenticity and her new series Little Bird

Early in her 30-year career, Jennifer Podemski knew sheonly wanted to take roles thathad integrity.But as an actor of mixed Anishinaabeand Jewish descent, agents andcasting directorsdidn't know what to do with her, and the roles she was up for were often racist stereotypes of Indigenous people.

"I was like, 'I can't do this. I can't be this person,'"Podemski toldQ's Tom Power in an interview.

"I am not someone who can continually put myself out there for things that I don't believe in, especially knowing that my community is suffering and every single role I'm playing or auditioning for is being written by non-Indigenous people, and portraying this Native character, this one Native character, as a one-dimensional victim orwhatever.... I just had this moment where I said, 'I want to be someone who is a part of the change and a part of the solution.'"

Now, Podemski is showrunning a new series for Crave and APTN called Little Bird, whichtells the story of a girl who was abducted during the Sixties Scoop and eventually adopted into a wealthy Jewish family in Montreal.

Every detail of the show, from the props to the language, was driven by a desire for authenticity that put Indigenous stories front and centre.

WATCH |Jennifer Podemski's interview with Tom Power:

"Authenticity was the guiding principle," said Podemski. "Every single thing that comes out of someone's mouth, every single frame, every single piece of physical information in the frame on the screenhas to filter through a lens of authentic vetting.... Indigenous stories, in many ways, were erased. And when we were seeing them and we were hearing about them, they were either used as propaganda or used to perpetuate narratives that were very harmful and reckless."

In 1998, Podemski started a production company,Big Soul Productions, with producerLaura Milliken, whom she met that same year at the Indspire Awards (formerly called theNational Aboriginal Achievement Awards). It was saidto be Canada's first Indigenous owned and operated, full-service film and television production and post-production company.

"I produce and I create content because I felt like it was meaningful to me," she said.

WATCH | Official trailer for Little Bird:

You can hear the full interview with Jennifer Podemskion our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview withJennifer Podemskiby Vanessa Greco.