Little Bird is a fictional drama series that draws from Canada’s documented history of the Sixties Scoop, a period in which First Nations children were systematically removed from their families by welfare services and placed with white families. The series, premiering 18 August on Sky Atlantic, follows a woman named Esther Rosenblum, now in her 20s, who was adopted into a Jewish family in Montreal. Her only clue to her origins is a newspaper adoption advertisement listing her given name, Bezhig Little Bird.
The protagonist’s investigation into her past leads her to reconnect with biological family members living on reserves, where she discovers the lingering effects of colonial policies and cultural displacement. According to the narrative, her siblings were separated during the same abduction, with one experiencing particularly harsh treatment within their adoptive household. The series examines how systemic racism and discriminatory welfare policies created lasting generational trauma within Indigenous communities.
Thematically, the drama addresses both institutional and interpersonal forms of discrimination, depicting how bureaucratic systems perpetuate injustice through everyday interactions. Characters working within child protection services grapple with their roles in implementing policies, while the protagonist confronts casual racism masked as compliments. The show presents these dynamics through a restrained aesthetic rather than sensationalism, focusing on what the source describes as the banality of systemic harm.
Produced in collaboration with Indigenous creators and filmed in Treaty 1 Territory in Manitoba, the series comprises six episodes. Actor Darla Contois, who is Cree-Saulteaux, leads the cast. The production garnered 13 awards at the Canadian Screen Awards. The narrative concludes each episode with a statement about the current state of Indigenous children in the care system.
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