Julian Brave Noisecat: Surviving the Night, Becoming a Father, and Faith

Julian Brave Noisecat: Surviving the Night, Becoming a Father, and Faith

From Let's Give A Damn by Nick Laparra

April 20, 2026 · 1h 21m

About this episode

Julian Brave Noisecat discusses his experiences as a filmmaker and author, focusing on Indigenous life and intergenerational trauma.

❤️ If you love the show and want to support us, ⁠⁠⁠please consider joining our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ . 🎉 It’s Julian Brave Noisecat week on the podcast! 👉🏽 ⁠ NoiseCat is a writer, filmmaker, champion powwow dancer, and student of Salish art and history. He is the first Indigenous North American filmmaker ever nominated for an Academy Award and the first Indigenous North American author to ever write about healing from intergenerational trauma by getting stoned with his dad for The New York Times Magazine. During this conversation we talk at length about his first book, We Survived the Night, a portrait of Indigenous life beginning with the familial and expanding outwards from there through a contemporary retelling of the Coyote epic. When it released in 2025, it was an instant national bestseller in Canada and an indie bestseller in the United States. In addition to being a bestselling author, Julian's first documentary, Sugarcane, directed alongside Emily Kassie, follows an investigation into abuse and missing children at the Indian residential school NoiseCat’s family was sent to near Williams Lake, British Columbia. Sugarcane premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where NoiseCat…

People in this episode

Host: Nick Laparra

Guest: Julian Brave Noisecat

Topics covered

  • Indigenous life
  • intergenerational trauma
  • filmmaking
  • fatherhood
  • cultural history

Keywords

  • Julian Brave Noisecat
  • We Survived the Night
  • Sugarcane
  • intergenerational trauma
  • Indigenous culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times Magazine

Books & works: We Survived the Night, Sugarcane

Places: Williams Lake, British Columbia

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