Sundance announces 2022 Indigenous Short Film Tour

The 2022 Sundance Institute Indigenous Short Film Tour is a 91-minute theatrical program of six short films directed by Indigenous filmmakers

News announce courtesy of the Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program

2022 Sundance Institute Indigenous Short Film Tour, June 3-17, 2022

The 2022 Sundance Institute Indigenous Short Film Tour is a 91-minute theatrical program of six short films directed by Indigenous filmmakers, featuring titles from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival shorts program and from alumni of Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program.

Starting in 2021 as a virtual presentation in conjunction with museums, Native cultural centers and arthouse cinemas, the tour returns as an in-person exhibition lasting from June 3-17, 2022.

“We kicked off the Indigenous Shorts Tour last year in recognition of the consistently stellar work these filmmakers bring to the Festival shorts program year after year,” said Adam Piron, director, of the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program. “These shorts deserve to be seen by broader audiences nationwide and specifically by Native audiences in their home communities — we’re so excited to be able to do that this year on big screens at select venues.”

The tour venues include Poeh Cultural Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Vibes with the Tribes, Detroit, Michigan; Strand Theatre, Vicksburg, Mississippi; Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles,  California; Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, Clewiston, Florida; Cahokia: SocialTech + ArtSpace, Phoenix, Arizona; and First Americans Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Support for screenings in Michigan, Mississippi and New Mexico is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Registration for the program can be found on venue websites.

Featuring narrative and documentary shorts, the curated selection is a celebration of Native perseverance and an exciting look at a variety of inventive storytelling from Indigenous artists with Sundance ties. The Festival’s Short Film Program has a long history of supporting and launching talented Indigenous directors including Taika Waititi, Blackhorse Lowe, Sterlin Harjo, Sky Hopinka, Caroline Monnet and Shaandiin Tome.

The Institute’s commitment to supporting Indigenous artists is woven throughout its history; amplifying President and Founder Robert Redford’s original vision, the Institute has remained steadfast in supporting the voices of Indigenous artists.

The Indigenous Program has built and sustained an Indigenous film circle, which now spans over four generations. The cycle of work begins by scouting for and identifying Indigenous artists, providing a year-round support system at Sundance Institute to get their work made and shown, and then bringing the filmmakers and their work back to Native lands.

The Native Lab has been a vital part of supporting Indigenous filmmakers since 2004, and the Merata Mita and Full Circle Fellowships offer further support to emerging Indigenous voices.

Program: 2022 Sundance Institute Indigenous Short Film Tour, June 3-17, 2022

The Headhunter’s Daughter / Philippines (Director and Screenwriter: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan – Ífugão, Visayan, Producer: Hannah Schierbeek) — Leaving her family behind, Lynn traverses the harrowing roads of the Cordilleran highlands to try her luck in the city as a country singer. Cast: Ammin Acha-ur. Narrative.

Kicking the Clouds / United States (Director: Sky Hopinka – Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) — An experimental documentary centered on a 50-year-old cassette tape of a Pechanga language lesson between the director’s grandmother and great-grandmother and contextualized by an interview with his mother in his Pacific Northwest hometown. Documentary.

Long Line of Ladies / United States (Directors: Rayka Zehtabchi, Shaandiin Tome – Diné, Producers: Garrett Schiff, Pimm Tripp-Allen, Rayka Zehtabchi, Sam Davis, Dana Kurth) — A girl and her community prepare for her Ihuk, the once-dormant coming of age ceremony of the Karuk and Yurok tribes of Northern California. Documentary.

Maidenhood / Mexico (Director: Xochitl Enriquez Mendoza – Zapoteca, Screenwriters: Xochitl Enriquez Mendoza, Samuel Sánchez Tual, Producer: Eréndira Hernández) —  Catalina submits to the tradition of her people to demonstrate her purity and worth as a woman to her beloved, but her body betrays her and she fails to demonstrate her chastity. Cast: Emma Aquilar Malacara, Héctor Ortíz Valdovinos, Mayra Sérbulo, Maira Jiménez Desales. Narrative.

The Original Shareholder Experience / United States (Director and Screenwriter: Petyr Xyst – Roadrunner clan in the Pueblo of Laguna, Producers: Autumn Billie, Lauren Begay) — An Indigenous telepresenter nearing the top of her class must contend with her career prospects and her moral credibility as she’s asked to sell a genocidal product on live television.

ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (Udeyonv) (What They’ve Been Taught) / United States (Director: Brit Hensel – Cherokee Nation, Producers: Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Kavi Pillay, Tracy Rector) — This film explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker. Documentary.

About Sundance Institute

As a champion and curator of independent stories, the Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists across storytelling media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. Sundance Collab, a digital community platform, brings a global cohort of working artists together to learn from each other and Sundance Advisors and connect in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences and artists to ignite new ideas, discover original voices, and build a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported and showcased such projects as Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), CODA, Flee, Passing, Clemency, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Zola, On the Record, Boys State, The Farewell, Honeyland, One Child Nation, The Souvenir, The Infiltrators, Sorry to Bother You, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Hereditary, Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Big Sick, Mudbound, Fruitvale Station, City So Real, Top of the Lake, Between the World & Me, Wild Goose Dreams and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.