LITTLE CHIEF

A FILM BY ERICA TREMBLAY LOGLINE

The lives of a Native woman and nine-year-old boy intersect over the course of a school day on a reservation in . STORY

Against the bleak landscape of a rural reservation in Oklahoma, exhausted school teacher Sharon keeps everyone at an arm’s distance while trying her best to provide for her classroom. Her student Bear is having a particularly hard time, enduring challenges both at home and in the classroom. As she watches Bear unravel, Sharon is ultimately forced to accept her role as an imperfect role model, the unlikely matriarch her community needs. Bear becomes desperate to escape it all, and Sharon is left chasing a little boy who is running to nowhere. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Building off of my experience growing up How do colonized cultures grapple with in Oklahoma and drawing from the true educating their youth in culturally-aware stories of my mother who is a Native ways? What are the burdens on the next school teacher, Little Chief tells a story generation, and how are these children of contemporary Native America. Within emotionally coping with a grim reality the context of national conversations that they neither chose nor control? about race, poverty and education, I hope to provide insight into these Little Chief offers a unique perspective. questions through this work. FILM INFORMATION A SHARP SHINNED PRODUCTION

Title — Little Chief Written and Directed by Erica Tremblay Year of Production — 2018 Starring Lily Gladstone and Julian Ballentyne Duration — 11:30 Supervising Producer: Sterlin Harjo Country of Production — USA Producers: Deidre Backs, Kasia Chmielinski, Erica Tremblay Genre — Narrative Short Director of Photography: Marshall Stief Shooting Format — RED Gaffer: Sunrise Tippeconnie Finishing Format — PRORES Editor: Robert Grigsby Wilson Aspect Ratio — Flat (1.78) Associate Producers: Rachel Streater, William Tarrant Sound Format — Stereo / 5.1 Production Manager: Dylan Brodie Language — English Music Producer: Richard Ford Music Composer: Garth Stevenson Graphics: Carl Bowman FILM FESTIVALS

Sundance 2020 [World Premiere] Maouriland Film Festival DIRECTOR’S BIO

Erica Tremblay (Seneca-Cayuga) is a filmmaker and activist currently studying her Indigenous language on the Six Nations reservation. Her work has been featured on PBS, CNN and IFC. Erica’s films explore topics including restorative justice and issues impacting the two- spirit community. She has worked with many grassroots organizations including the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and the Alaska Native Women’s Coalition. Erica was recently honored as a 40 Under 40 Native American and was a 2018 Sundance Indigenous Lab Fellow. TEAM

STERLIN HARJO DEIDRE BACKS KASIA CHMIELINSKI — — — SUPERVISING PRODUCER PRODUCER PRODUCER

Sterlin Harjo (/) is a writer Deidre served at Alexander Payne’s develop- Kasia is a technologist in healthcare at and director of both narrative and documentary ment company, Ad Hominem, on Cedar Rapids McKinsey & Company and the Project Lead of films. Known for award winning work revolving and The Descendants. After transitioning to The Data Nutrition Project, an initiative that around Native American themes, Harjo was production, she worked on Alexander’s film builds tools to improve the health of artificial picked as a participant in the Sundance Nebraska. Her first foray into independent intelligence through healthier data. Previously, Institute’s Feature Film Program. In 2006 Harjo film was as an associate producer on Kasia worked at the U.S. Digital Service (EOP) was in the inaugural class of United States Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter with the David to improve government technology around Artists award recipients. He was also the & Nathan Zellner. Presently, Deidre works with the opioid crisis and visa application process. youngest recipient. Harjo’s feature films, FOUR the producer Daniel Lupi on films such as They were also the Product and Partnerships SHEETS TO THE WIND, BARKING WATER and Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and Ready Player Lead for Scratch, a project of the MIT Media THIS MAY BE THE LAST TIME all had successful One, as well as Jordan Peele’s Us. Lab. When not in front of a whiteboard or premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. Harjo a keyboard, Kasia can be found making is a founding member of the all Native comedy independent films. group the 1491s. ROBERT GRIGSBY WILSON MARSHALL STIEF — — EDITOR CINEMATOGRAPHER

Robert Grigsby Wilson’s editing work includes Marshall is a New York-based cinematographer film festival favorites, acclaimed television who enjoys working on a wide variety of shows, and viral videos. This year, his films projects. His work has been screened at various The 40-Year-Old Version (US Competition) Film Festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and Little Chief (Shorts) are both premiering South by Southwest and Full Frame. In addition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. His last to his branded work for clients such as Johnson project Goldie premiered at the 2019 Berlinale & Johnson, HP, Sephora and Lexus he has and Tribeca Film Festivals and was picked lensed an array of documentaries and non- up FilmMovement. Other notable festival fiction television including programs for PBS, premieres includes Lost Bayou (Tribeca 2019), The History Channel, and TLC. Marshall’s love Lost Transmissions (Tribeca 2019), Fits And of storytelling and adept skills as a collaborator Starts (SXSW 2017, The Orchard) and Most allow him to nimbly flow between large and Beautiful Island (SXSW 2017 Grand Jury Prize small productions, and his style combines Winner, Samuel Goldwyn Films). He lives in his documentary and narrative experience to Brooklyn with his wife Lauren and editorial heighten the natural world and find beauty in therapy dog Cashew. the most unexpected places. A top 10 must-see short film this year “I found myself nodding along in approval at Sundance. of this brilliantly scripted short scene.

— IndieWire Featuring no dialogue, a few tense stares and a very brisk walk away from the ‘crime scene’, introductions like these immediately draw the audience into the Life rules in ‘Little Chief’... complex nature of a character, and that — Top Cinema is brilliant storytelling if you ask me.

Lily’s performance is nothing short of extraordinary.”

— Nouse (UK) PRESS

Indigenous short film ‘Little Chief,’ filmed in Oklahoma by director Erica Tremblay, to screen at 2020 Sundance Film Festival ↗

— The Oklahoman DIRECTOR’S Q&A

WHAT IS THE SCOOP?

I’m proud of Little Chief as an extension of the work I’ve been doing as an activist in the Indigenous community, and as a symbol of the importance of collaboration and platforms like the Sundance Native Labs for Indigenous filmmakers. Premiering at the Festival feels like coming full circle.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU AS A FILMMAKER?

I’m inspired by the people in my community that make up the fabric of our culture. The standard tropes of Indigenous people on screen are relentless and violent, and I feel a responsibility to try and push against that narrative with the experiences I have had and have witnessed. I am also endlessly inspired other Indigenous storytellers who are out there doing their work. I have so many incredible mentors and colleagues. This current movement of Indigenous cinema is anything but an individual effort. We are out here supporting each other because we understand what is at stake and we know how hard this work is. WHERE DID THE IDEA OF WHY IS TELLING THIS STORY SO WHAT WAS THE MOST “LITTLE CHIEF” COME FROM? IMPORTANT TO YOU AND WHY CHALLENGING OR UNUSUAL ARE YOU THE BEST PERSON TO PART ABOUT MAKING THIS TELL IT? FILM?

There are certain stories I find myself Little Chief is a love letter to my mother I was selected as a 2018 Sundance telling over and over again, and I love and all of the other matriarchs in my Native Filmmakers Lab Fellow. It was talking about my mother and the work life who are working through their own an incredible experience, and I am very she does in our Native community. She trauma in order to heal themselves grateful to Bird Runningwater, his team, has been an educator for most of my and others in our community. It is this and all of my mentors. We shot Little life, and she has sacrificed so much to exhaustive work that ensures our future Chief on the Seneca-Cayuga Nation provide safety and knowledge to our as a people. We are still feeling the in Oklahoma near where I grew up. It youth. Growing up, these sacrifices resounding impact of the residential was a deeply moving experience to were just the reality that I knew and school era, and it is paramount that we have the backing of my community. I it wasn’t until I was much older that I take back our classrooms and provide come from a documentary background, realized the unique set of challenges culturally-specific teachings. Little Chief so casting was the most difficult part she faces as an Indigenous woman was an opportunity for me to highlight of the process for me. I had seen teaching Indigenous children. There that incredible work and explore the Lily Gladstone in Kelly Reichardt’s is a real lack of understanding about challenges that our teachers and Certain Women and I just went for modern Native America, and Little students face every day. it. I emailed her and introduced

Chief offers a simple exploration of myself and the project, and when she one reality set against the complicated accepted I squealed with joy. She is so constructs in which it exists. exceptionally talented and generous. YOUR PREVIOUS WORK IS VERY DIVERSE, YOU ARE CURRENTLY STUDYING YOUR ENGAGED AND SOCIALLY DRIVEN, AMONG INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE. TELL US ABOUT MANY OTHER ASPECTS. HOW WOULD YOU THAT? DEFINE YOURSELF AS A FILMMAKER?

As a two-spirit Haudenosaunee woman, I am drawn I was working in media in New York, but I woke up one to stories that actually drive change. There’s a huge day and just couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t go into responsibility that comes along with having access to the office and hear one more person say, “Yeah, let’s make films and media. It took me a while to figure that have a powwow on that later,” or “That’s the lowest out, and it inhibited me as an artist and an activist. I was priority on the totem pole.” I had worked so hard to desperately trying to mimic what already existed and climb a ladder because I thought that was what I was fit into this mainstream form that was actively working supposed to do, but I felt so far from anything that against me and the authentic stories I wanted to tell. I mattered to me. I quit that day and enrolled in three- still have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but I am year long immersion program to learn my Indigenous no longer interested in working on things that don’t language. Studying the Cayuga language on the Six have a direct and positive impact on my community. It Nations Reserve in Ontario is the best decision I have is incredible to have the backing of an organization like ever made. There are fewer than fifty people left who Sundance, but even outside of that, the art legitimately still speak the language, so it is critical that we do matter the moment it exists. something now. Creating media resources and films will be integral to keep our language alive, and I am humbled and grateful to have a role in that. WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

I am currently writing a feature called ‘Fancy Dance,’ about a two- spirit woman who kidnaps her niece from a foster home on the way to a powwow. The U.S. government has long been removing Native kids from their homes and placing them with Non-native wards, and I want to explore the devastating impacts of this but in a way that allows us to take a few breathers from all the trauma and have some fun on a road trip movie. I am also working on a feature documentary called ‘Sister’s Gone,’ that investigates the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Alaska. CONTACT

Homespun Pictures [email protected] 519.802.6893