The Nest / Le nid (2025) – Documentary Film by Chase Joynt and Julietta Singh
In a house full of secrets, centuries of forgotten matriarchs emerge to reveal untold stories of resistance and resilience.
At the end of her mother’s life, decolonial writer Julietta Singh returns to say goodbye to her haunted childhood home. As she digs into the history of the house, she uncovers 140 years of forgotten matriarchs and political rebels she never knew. Singh teams up with acclaimed filmmaker Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes, No Ordinary Man) for a politically charged cross-community collaboration that deftly interweaves Indigenous, Deaf, Japanese and South Asian histories, all connected through the home. A reckoning with memory, matriarchy and the enduring legacies of silenced voices, the film questions who gets lost in the archives of history, and what we stand to gain by resurrecting them. The Nest transforms a single home from a place of siloed histories into a site of radical collective potential. (Synopsis from NFB film site)
Carleton Connections: The film includes appearances from Carleton graduate student Sierra Hill (Public History MA ’26 / the Manitoba Métis Federation MMF) and Tamara Vukusic (Carleton Journalism Alum) who will appear in conversation with filmmaker Julietta Singh on November 19, 2025.
Community Collaborators on The Nest (2025) include:
The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) is the democratically elected National Government of the Red River Métis, also known as the Manitoba Métis. The Red River Métis are a distinct Indigenous Nation and people, with their own laws and democratic system of government, with which they became Canada’s negotiating partners in confederation and the founders of the Province of Manitoba. mmf.mb.ca
The Manitoba School for the Deaf (MSD) is a pre-K–12 school offering both bilingual-bicultural and bilingual-bimodal programming. It is a cornerstone of recognition, acceptance and promotion of Deaf culture in Manitoba, with an emphasis on education’s vital role in supporting Deaf children.msd.ca
The Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba (JCAM) is a non-profit, charitable organization that serves as the representative organization for Japanese Canadians in Manitoba. Their mission is to educate the community about Japanese and Japanese-Canadian art, music, culture, language, heritage and history.jcamwpg.ca
Two Engagement Opportunities on November 19, 2025:
(1) A Conversation w/ Filmmaker Julietta Singh, with Tamara Vukusic (Carleton Journalism Alum) and Sierra Hill (Carleton MA in Public History ’26) – Wed Nov 19th from 1-2:15pm for Carleton students & faculty
Time / Date: Wed., Nov. 19, 1:00pm-2:15pm
Location: Dunton Tower 2017, Carleton University
Who can attend: Carleton students, faculty and staff
(2) Ottawa Premiere of ‘The Nest’ at the Mayfair – Wed Nov 19th from 3-5:30pm for General Public and Carleton Community
Time / Date: Wed., Nov. 19, 3:00pm-5:30pm – NOTE: doors will open at 3pm and screening will start at 3:30pm.
Location: Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 2W3
Who can attend: General Public, Carleton students, faculty and staff
Cost: FREE but please register via Eventbrite to reserve your spot! (*tickets are going fast! Please register)
*The Ottawa Premiere of The Nest is a Bonus Lecture in the 2025 Shannon Lectures – a series of thematically linked public lectures offered at Carleton University each autumn and made possible through the Shannon Donation, a major gift from a long-time friend of the Department of History
Questions? Please email Carleton Associate Professor, Michel Hogue
Download a PDF of Film Poster > PDF – The Nest (2025) film poster