NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s annual celebration of Native filmmaking continues with a free, public screening of Fancy Dance at the Student Union Ballroom at 5:30 p.m. Monday, November 10. Pizza and drinks will be provided.
For many years, the media representations of American Indian people slanted towards outsiders’ views focused on stereotypes and surface images, lacking an understanding the lives of modern Native people, and even using white actors in “brown face” rather than Indigenous actors. That began to change in recent decades, with Native people taking up the camera, the pen and the microphone.
“The late 1980s saw some Native-made films such as Pow-Wow Highway reach a wider audience. Before that, most Native films in the U.S. received small releases geared towards tribal audiences. It wasn’t until 2021 that the first Native-written mainstream television show ran in the U.S.,” explains Dr. Rebecca Riall (Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama), anthropologist/attorney and coordinator of American Indian and Indigenous Studies at NSU.
“Many people may recognize Lily Gladstone (Piegan Blackfeet Nation and Nez Perce) from Killers of the Flower Moon,” adds Dr. Allison Rittmayer, associate professor of English and film studies. “In Fancy Dance, she plays Jax, whose sister Tawi has disappeared. Jax takes in Tawi’s daughter, Roki, and they struggle to get law enforcement to investigate Tawi’s disappearance while they dodge child protective services. The film deals with themes of family, reservation life, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis, and how everyone has to reckon with their past. Fancy Dance won Outstanding Feature at the GLAAD Media Awards and the Zeiss Cinematography Award at SXSW, among other film festival awards in 2023.”
“Native films are different from films about Natives. Although Native cultures are diverse, there is often a shared sense of using humor to get through dark times that many audiences can relate to. I think it’s important and interesting to share films from different cultures and hope that many people from the Natchitoches area will join us,” according to Heather Salter Dromm (Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb), instructor of English, Language, and Cultural Studies.
“In a time where Ethnic Studies is seen as secondary, I love that we are highlighting one of many stories of Native people,” says Dr. Jasmine Wise, sociologist and coordinator of the Gail Metoyer Jones Center. “The themes of the film are relatable across cultures.”
Prof. Brittany Broussard, psychologist and director of the Jones Center agrees, “The Gail Metoyer Jones Center is excited to co-sponsor the showing of Fancy Dance! This film touches on significant issues and challenges many Indigenous people face. It is paramount as an educational institution to expose our students to the voices, stories and experiences of those from various backgrounds through their own lens.”
NSU has long-standing relationships with several American Indian Nations and offers programming about American Indian cultures. It offers one of only two American Indian and Indigenous Studies minors in the state and has an active Native American Student Association. The American Indian Opportunity Program offers a tuition waiver to qualified citizens of federally recognized American Indian nations.
“The Native Film Series is an annual event,” states Breanna Murphy (Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb), president of NSU’s Native American Student Association (NASA). “This is the seventh year. The film series highlights Native-made films and invites the public to share the cultures. NASA is excited to cosponsor the Fancy Dance screening and to celebrate the rich cultures of Native Americans during National Native American Heritage Month.”
The NSU Native Film Series is sponsored by American Indian & Indigenous Studies, the Gail Metoyer Jones Center, the Department of English, Language, and Cultural Studies; Anthropology and Sociology, part of the School of Social Sciences and Applied Programs, and the Native American Student Association. The organizers thank AppleTV+ for allowing us to offer this free public screening.