Coming Attractions

Coming Home

Coming Home

An Indigenous adult-adoptee returns to her rural home community after building an unlikely friendship with a seven-term Chief, brought together by fate to explore hope, healing, forgiveness, and coming home to our whole selves.

Coming Home is an one-off short documentary profiling a seven-term former First Nations Chief, Wayne Christian. Hosted by adult-adoptee and foster care survivor, Charlene SanJenko, from the same home community and filmed in the scenic Shuswap Valley of rural British Columbia, Coming Home is a multi-sensory exploration of conversation, cultural practices, and reciprocal care dedicated to reconciliation-in-action by prioritizing courageous dialogue that heals one person, one family, and one community at a time.

The reGEN media team have been to the Splatsin Nation twice in 2022 for two legs of production and filming. From the first leg in May of 2022, a 10-minute mini-documentary was produced as a way to capture the context of the larger story that is developing in real-time. After completing a second leg of filming in October 2022 and anticipating a third leg in Spring of 2023, a feature short film is in the works to be released in the Fall 2023.

The process of delivering Coming Home is an interactive experience: you can bring Charlene and Chief Wayne to your own community for a live screening and talk-back session as part of reGEN media's For The Children initiative. Keep reading to discover how you can support the film by signing up for updates, donating, or partnering as a brand activation partner.

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Quick Facts

Status: In production

Estimated release date: Fall 2023

Genre: Short documentary film

Impact: Healing families

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Watch the mini-documentary:

"We have the ability to change, and we can transmit healing through generations."

~ Wenecwtsin (Wayne Christian)

Listen to the full audio clip:

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Meet the Creative Team

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Charlene SanJenko

Director & Impact Producer

Charlene SanJenko is a Modern-Day Medicine Woman, and media is her medicine. Born in the Splatsin Band of the Shuswap Nation, Charlene is an Indigenous Impact Producer + Meida Visionary, braiding for better by brokering impact, building brand value using advertising dollars better. She believes that impact media will follow in the footsteps of impact investing this decade.

Charlene's first organization, PowHERhouse, is an Indeginous-owned social impact organization celebrating its ninth year in business with foundational roots dating back to 2000. As a House of global leaders, PowHERhouse champions Changemakers to step more fully into their epic impact using the vehicle of Indigenous storytelling, digital media arts technology, and impact media production to amplify work forward in the world and the champions we celebrate.

Charlene is now launching reGEN media, an impact media company focused on brokering partnerships between impact investors, progressive brands, and artists, creators and filmmakers to shift the narrative and lift society.

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Madeline Archibald

Co-Director, Director of Photography & Editor

A recent BFA graduate of the University of Lethbridge, AB, Madeline's love for filmmaking started at the age of 10. Since then she has brought her expertise and passion to PowHERhouse Media Group in 2022, and most recently to the reGEN media team. Coming Home is her first feature-level film, but she has worked on and produced numerous other shorts, documentary-style stories, and other visually-centered projects that align with her belief of shifting the narratives we consume.

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Willow Smith

Co-Producer & Audio Lead

One half of the father-daughter duo behind the Loving Goliath podcast and The Goliath Foundation, Willow is driven to helping others heal.

Coming from a long background in customer service, the shift from serving to healing was a surprisingly easy one. Willow is a coach and board member for the Sunshine Coast roller derby team and no stranger picking herself and others back up again after a fall, and she takes the team motto of 'I've got your back' into every interaction she has while working with The Goliath Foundation and the reGEN media team. She brings audio expertise, an eye for detail, and a producer's hat in the production of Coming Home thus far.

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Ecko Aleck

Cultural Liaison, Sound Tech & Composer

Ecko is an award winning Nlaka’pamux artist, founder and Visionary, raised with the shishalh Nation and currently living on Pentlatch (Qualicum) Nation lands on Vancouver Island. Ecko is a modern day shape-shifter with digital arts, storyteller through movement and medicine woman of the heart, on a mission to support all people and the planet to return to a natural rhythm of well-being.

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Sharon Marshall

Project Manager

Sharon is a Métis, Cree Entrepreneur, originally from Treaty 6 Territory in Edmonton, Alberta on Turtle Island. She offers HOPE by Helping Other People Excel. She is the Founder and Lead Executive Officer (LEO) of Cree8iv Collaboration Inc dba DEVA Training & Staffing Solutions, drawing from 30+ years of experience in administration, as well as 15+ years of experience providing remote administrative, creative, and technical support to executives globally. She leverages her skills and passions in speaking, writing, training, and facilitation to empower Indigenous women to realize their brilliance by providing training in public speaking and presentation skills, digital literacy, digital skills, and women's leadership.

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Behind the scenes

Join our crew behind the camera and experience the making of Coming Home: a process nearly a year-long in the making! Featuring exclusive photos, videos, and tours of critical storytelling moments - updated in real-time as the story continues to unfold. BONUS: add your own thoughts and reflections to our interactive space!

visit our memoryKPR interactive space

What's next:

Late Spring 2023:

Early planning is underway for a Matriarch's Picnic in Splatsin. This special event is related to the filming of our Coming Home short film. Stay tuned for further details as they are confirmed.

Please contact Charlene if you are interested in learning more.

Future Possibilities for the Film:

reGEN media will pitch a Coming Home limited series to streaming partners in 2024/2025, stories of hope, healing, and humour that celebrate Coming Home of adult adoptees and former kids-in-care who are returning, connecting, and contributing to community across Turtle Island.

Coming Home to Our Whole Selves - For The Children

You can bring a live screening of Coming Home to your community, including an intimate talk-back session with Charlene and Chief Wayne, an interactive multimedia arts exhibit, and an opportunity to learn more and participate in a new healing community initiative: Our Nation Heals.

I want to learn more about For The Children

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What are you looking for?
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If you are interested in becoming a corporate brand activation partner, please contact charlene@regenimpactmedia.com

Book a conversation with Charlene