“We have made the difficult decision to cancel the live score performance of Sugarcane at State Theatre. It was an honor to score this important film, whose story is closely linked to the experience of Wabanaki people in Maine and eastern Canada. I hope everyone who bought tickets will watch it online and enjoy the music. I also recommend screening the film “Dawnland” (2018) for further education. As a performing artist the emotional energy required to deliver this music is not something I have the capacity for at this time. I sincerely hope to return to the venue with a different project soon. Much love to my Portland community″ – Mali Obomsawin
Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, singer and composer from Odanak First Nation, one of GRAMMY.com’s top ten emerging jazz artists and the composer of the Oscar-nominated film, Sugarcane. The 2024 documentary, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school, shines a spotlight on the Sugarcane Reserve. A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, Sugarcane is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning and illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere. In this powerful evening of music and film, Obomsawin and her band perform live to the backdrop of the film. When not performing with the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Dave Holland, Billy Hart, Peter Apfelbaum, Julia O’Keefe’s Indigenous Big Band and others – Obomsawin can be found fronting her own quartet and the indie rock duo Deerlady.
