Sundance Indigenous Shorts Tour 2022
The 2022 Sundance Institute Indigenous Short Film Tour consists of six short films directed by Indigenous filmmakers and selected from recent editions of the Sundance Film Festival. The program includes fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental works from around the world, giving new audiences a taste of what the Festival’s Indigenous filmmakers have to offer.
The Sundance 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.
The Headhunter’s Daughter / Philippines (Director and Screenwriter: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan - Ífugão, Visayan)
Leaving her family behind, Lynn traverses the harrowing roads of the Cordilleran highlands to try her luck in the city as a country singer.
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.
Long Line of Ladies / United States (Directors: Rayka Zehtabchi, Shaandiin Tome - Diné)
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.
Maidenhood / Mexico (Director: Xochitl Enriquez Mendoza - Zapoteca)
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.
The Original Shareholder Experience / United States (Director and Screenwriter: Petyr Xyst - Roadrunner clan in the Pueblo of Laguna)
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)
This film explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker.
Ithaca Premiere
English subtitles