[2][3][4] Hart considered her involvement in We Were Children a vital step in her healing process, marking the first time she had fully shared her experiences.
[5] Eagle Vision's executive producer Lisa Meeches—whose parents and older siblings were sent to residential schools, and who spent over 7 years travelling across Canada to collect residential school survivors' stories for the Government of Canada—has stated that the idea for the film originated from a discussion she had had at the Banff World Media Festival.
[2][3][8] CBC Manitoba reporter Sheila North Wilson assisted the production by translating material in the script from English to Cree.
[9] The film's cast includes both acting performances and interviewees, as We Were Children combines interviews of its two subjects with dramatic recreations of their experiences.
It was broadcast on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in March 2013,[6] followed by a DVD release from the National Film Board of Canada on 12 April 2013.