Native Film Talk
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Hello! Welcome to Native Film Talk! The purpose of this podcast is to explore Native representation in film from the perspective of a Native, me. Native American representation in film is as old as the film industry itself, so there is a plethora of content available for review. I plan to watch movies, tv shows, and documentaries from the old westerns, i.e. The Searchers, The Outlaw Josey Wales, to more modern box office hits, Wind River, Hostiles, Magnificent Seven. Also I'd like to explore film that are from the Native perspective, i.e. Smoke Signals, Skins, Indian Horse, The Fast Runner. During this journey I will do research and dedicate an episode per film. I hope on this journey to gain a better understanding of what appropriate representation means to me. I realize my palate will change through the course of this podcast and I hope yours does as well! Overall, the image of the Native American in film has changed in a lot of ways, in others it has not. There have been attempts to mature from the stoic indian, noble savage, and white savior but we also see modern instanaces where those stereotypes continue to be perpetuated. Also there is encouraging signs that we are heading in the right direction, with movies like Indian Horse, that recant accurate experiences of Native people in history. Also tv shows like Molly From Denali that show a positive image of native people on television while being accurate to the tribe being represented in the show. I'm excited for this journey and hopefully will have some great guests join me along the way. Thank you and happy listening!
Location:
United States
Description:
Hello! Welcome to Native Film Talk! The purpose of this podcast is to explore Native representation in film from the perspective of a Native, me. Native American representation in film is as old as the film industry itself, so there is a plethora of content available for review. I plan to watch movies, tv shows, and documentaries from the old westerns, i.e. The Searchers, The Outlaw Josey Wales, to more modern box office hits, Wind River, Hostiles, Magnificent Seven. Also I'd like to explore film that are from the Native perspective, i.e. Smoke Signals, Skins, Indian Horse, The Fast Runner. During this journey I will do research and dedicate an episode per film. I hope on this journey to gain a better understanding of what appropriate representation means to me. I realize my palate will change through the course of this podcast and I hope yours does as well! Overall, the image of the Native American in film has changed in a lot of ways, in others it has not. There have been attempts to mature from the stoic indian, noble savage, and white savior but we also see modern instanaces where those stereotypes continue to be perpetuated. Also there is encouraging signs that we are heading in the right direction, with movies like Indian Horse, that recant accurate experiences of Native people in history. Also tv shows like Molly From Denali that show a positive image of native people on television while being accurate to the tribe being represented in the show. I'm excited for this journey and hopefully will have some great guests join me along the way. Thank you and happy listening!
Language:
English
Episodes
Echo
1/26/2024
Back again with a episode on Marvel's Echo. My friend Chris joins me to talk about Maya Lopez's journey back to her community in season 1 of Echo. We discuss why this is important for Native representation, specifically for women. I had a great time discussing how badass Alaqua Cox is as Maya and how much we are looking forward to another season.
There isn't much I didn't like about this show, it's easy to like and does a lot for Native representation. Listen as we share our thoughts.
Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter: @nativefilmtalk. Like, subscribe, and let me know what you think of the show at www.nativefilmtalk.com
Duration:01:09:15
Joey Clift
2/26/2023
I had a wonderful chat with Joey Clift. He is a writer on Spirit Rangers, which just got renewed for season 2! Woot woot!
Joey has also created amazing short films like My First Native American Boyfriend and How To Cope With Your Team Changing Its Native American Mascot.
We talk a bit about the Spirit Rangers premiere, in addition to how the show came to be. We also touch on the state of Native American representation today. While I typically speculate on, "Where do we go from here..." I feel that Joey's opinion and perspective on this topic is the most unique one that has been aired on the podcast.
So check this episode out! Enjoy and let me know what you think, talk to you later.
Duration:01:10:47
Rez Dogs Season 2 - Episode 1 & 2
12/24/2022
Alrighty! We're back with the Rez Dogs takeover! Episodes 1 and 2 are essentially one long episode so I decided to combine them!
We're back with Bear, Elora, Cheese, and Willie Jack as they try to reverse curses, make it back to town, get a job, and try to not be a shitass in life. They get second, sometimes third chances, because there is good in them that needs room to flourish.
I loved this season and am excited to talk more about the amazing things that were done in season 2 of Rez Dogs
Duration:00:41:38
Jon Proudstar (Leon on Reservation Dogs)
10/29/2022
Jon is most recently known for his work on Reservation Dogs, playing Willie Jack's dad Leon. However Jon has been in the acting business for a while and has many stories to share! What Hollywood was like when he started acting compared to now on Reservation Dogs. Also we discuss where people get it wrong about Native people when it comes to science, culture, sense of place, filmmaking.
I had fun talking to Jon it is clear he is having the time of his life right now where Native people have the opportunity to control the narrative in film/tv. This has led to opportunities from non-Native film makers to give Native actors the ability to accurately represent themselves on screen. Jon shares his experiences on his upcoming film Year of the Dog.
Last we talked about Jon's comic book Tribal Force, the long journey from the mid-90s to now and what's coming next.
Hope you all enjoy! Like, subscribe, and send me feedback.
Duration:01:20:55
Nathalie Standingcloud
9/24/2022
We had an Auntie on the podcast! Nathalie Standingcloud who plays Natalie an Optometry Receptionist. Nathalie is a tatoo artist, stage actor, on-screen actor, and model. She has been in the spotlight recently in performance as one of the Aunties in Season 2 Episode 5 of Reservation Dogs, where a quartet of ladies journey to an IHS Conference.
In my chat with Nathalie we discuss the importance and feedback from Season 2 Episode 5, also why the representation in that episode was so important for Native women. In addition we discuss her path to acting, her work as a tattoo artist, advice for aspiring Native actors, Rutherford Falls cancellation, Dexter New Blood, and much more.
I had a wonderful chat with Nathalie and it flew by! I'm thrilled to bring this conversation to you all and I hope you enjoy!
Duration:00:58:58
Dark Winds w/ Majerle Lister (Host of Wósdéé Podcast)
8/21/2022
Listen as I dive into season 1 of Dark Winds with my guest Majerle Lister, host of Wósdéé podcast and co-host of F*ckin Sick Podcast.
We do deep dive of how this compares to the previous PBS Hillerman films and general reception of the Hillerman novels among Navajo people. Additionally we discuss the impact of having an all native writers room for this series and including historically accurate events for the 1970s on the Navajo reservation.
As always we do a cast review, discuss positives/negatives, and wrap up our overall thoughts of the season. Spoiler alert, we both really like it and can't wait for season two. We also give it some harsh criticism from a Navajo lens, regarding language use, writing, and cultural expression in the show. BUT we also acknowledge that most non-Navajo people will not hold the same critiques, so we look forward to hearing your critique of the first season!
It was a fun discussion that yielded the longest podcast episode to date, hope you all enjoy.
Duration:01:45:22
Prey w/ MacNez Podcast
8/12/2022
Directed by Dan Trachenburg, this feature film is the #1 film premier in the first three days on Hulu. Receiving praise from Jesse Ventura, Joe Rogan, Bill Duke, and rocking a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, this film has received positive acclaim.
This film dives into the world of Naru as she is trying to find her foothold as a warrior while challenging the traditional roles for women in her village. While trying to perform her trial and kill a predator and bring home the head, she encounters a creature of the Yautja race, a Predator that seeks out other predators for sport. A wild ride ensues that has historically accurate costumes, customs, and authentic native talent on display. In addition to all of this, it was dubbed in Comanche upon release. This is the first feature film that is dubbed in Native language upon release. This is the benchmark for representation in major motion pictures.
Listen as I discuss Amber Midthunder's performance, review how this film challenges stereotypes typically portrayed in film, and where this takes us from here. I review the cast, the plot, discuss positives/negatives, and then provide some final thoughts.
I hope you all leave a review/ comment. Subscribe and listen out for our next episode, Dark Winds!
Duration:00:50:47
Caleb Abrams (Cultural Consultant - Dexter New Blood)
3/3/2022
I had a great chat with Caleb Abrams (Seneca) and discussed his work as a cultural consultant on Dexter New Blood. We also discuss the inclusion of MMIW in the show, his college educational experience, and what his community thought of Dexter New Blood. In addition, so much more.
Caleb is many things but he is most a great asset to Indian Country, it shows in what was present in Dexter. I'm happy to have had the time to chat with him and I look forward to see what he has coming up next. Check out his website and check out the trailer for his upcoming short film The Burning of My Cold Spring Home, it can be found at www.calebgabrams.com
Like, subscribe, leave a review and I hope you all enjoy!
Duration:01:03:51
Dexter New Blood
2/20/2022
This Dexter reboot that takes place 10 years after the questionable ending of the original show. Far from Miami, Dexter finds himself under the alias, Jim Lindsay, and is no longer killing. On top of not satisfying his urges, he is dating the Chief of Police Angela Bishop who is Seneca. A crime takes place on tribal land we are taken on a wild ride which eventually leads to Dexter meeting his demise at the hands of his own son, (SPOILER ALERT!)
Despite not having any Native producers, writers, or directors this show had excellent Native representation. While they did not have those roles filled by Native people, they had a Seneca cultural consultant, Caleb Abrams. It is clear they had a great collaboration during the show, the product is solid.
While I wish there was more Native representation in the show, what was shown on screen was graceful and real. I enjoyed seeing this reboot and I hope you all get a chance to see it! Let me know what you all think and stay tuned for the next episode where I interview the cultural consultant on the show, Caleb Abrams!
Duration:00:58:46
Grey's Anatomy S15E17 - Tradition
12/12/2021
This unfortunately came out in a year where we were graced with superior Native representation in television, Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs. Fortunately for us we know better now because of those shows. Grey's Anatomy having Natives, at face value sounds amazing. The actual product though, left much to be desired. I felt like I was watching someone's attempt at being respectful to Natives. It's obvious that this was non-natives writing about native people. The representation felt romanticized, generalized, on the nose, and performative.
Overall, I love this show as a whole. I was so excited when I heard that Robert Mesa was playing James Chee, a Navajo intern and recurring character. So I was MORE excited when I heard an episode about Natives was coming and man did it fail to deliver. I'm happy though, had this come out a year ago I would have enjoyed it. Thankfully I have a graduated taste, thanks to the shows mentioned above.
Thank you everyone who supports the show. Like, subscribe, leave a review, and let me know what you think! Have a good one!
Duration:00:58:03
Joe Yates (Writer on Molly of Denali)
12/4/2021
Joe is the father I want to be, the creator I want to be, the role model I want to be...everything.
Joe Yates runs Alaskan Films, his own video production and photography company. He also is a writer on Molly Of Denali, works on the upcoming show Life Below Zero: The First Alaskans, and is a Haida man trying his best to teach his kids the language.
He is a wonderful filmmaker and his work is available on his website alaskanfilms.com, go check it out and you will be amazed by his short films he has put together so far.
Joe is a phenomenal individual and we have a chat that ranges from language revitalization, to accurate native representation, fatherhood, and of course Molly of Denali!
Hope you all enjoy and please check out his work on alaskanfilms.com (Highly recommend Songs of Our Ancestors)
Duration:01:08:46
Reservation Dogs Episode 8
11/25/2021
Give that man an Ax!
What a way to end the season, Elora is the only one that ends up leaving?! And she ends up leaving with Jackie?! From the sworn rival gang the NDN Mafia?! Definitely some curveballs in this season finale but it was a great way to leave us wanting more for season 2.
I wrap up my miniseries on the Reservation Dogs season 1 and hope that everyone enjoyed it!
In addition to wrapping up episode 8 I also give my final thoughts on the show, overall positive, negatives, and where we go from here. I hope everyone enjoys it, likes, subscribes, and/or gives some feedback!
Thank you everyone who supports the show, talk to you later!
Duration:00:55:59
Reservation Dogs Episode 7
11/13/2021
What a great episode! Unfortunately this is what accurate Native representation looks like sometimes, suicide. While it dealt with an issue that we commonly see in our communities, it did it in a way that informs us of the circumstances that cultivate those high rates. Addiction, lack of opportunity, language loss, culture loss, poor access to adequate health care, etc. This show demonstrates that we need to talk about these things and sometimes we have to go to a non-native to talk about them.
This episode was heavy for me and for many people who saw it but it is important when controlling the narrative to tell the truth, even when it hurts!
This episode also gave Elora so much depth that we needed to see and always starve for in other shows featuring Native women. I love this show and episode. Episode 8, season finale, coming soon!
Duration:00:46:49
Reservation Dogs Episode 6
11/2/2021
This is the Willie Jack episode we've all been waiting for...it's not quite what we expected but over delivered in my opinion.
Willie Jack and her dad set out to hunt the deer that has eluded them, Chunk. While out and about Leon shares with Willie Jack his encounter of Tallman and they discuss the circumstances around Daniel's death.
This is a wonderful episode that touches on religion, belonging to place, connection to land, Land Back, and suicide. This is a powerful episode that doesn't get enough credit for what it is, the first TV show that depicts the reality of leaving the Rez.
I go over the new characters introduced, their backstory, plot review, positives, negatives, and final thoughts to take us home. Let me know what you all think! Leave a review, subscribe, or write into the show and give some feedback. Talk to you later.
Episode 7 coming soon!
Duration:00:47:33
Elias Gold
10/15/2021
As seen on Natives React Rez Dogs episode!
I had the pleasure of having Elias Gold come onto the show, he is the creator behind the YouTube channel Native Media Theory.
This chat discussed Reservation Dogs, how we came to be enamored with Native representation and advocating for accurate representation, the state of Native representation in film & television, also where we go from here.
I had a fantastic chat with Elias in our longest episode to date! Thank you all for your support and like, subscribe, rate/review!
Duration:01:42:11
Reservation Dogs Episode 5
10/6/2021
This episode is my favorite of the season. It has Kiowa Gordon singing Midnight Rider, Big's origin story, learning more about Cheese, and Native suspense/horror like I've never seen it done before...so beautifully. Also Wes Studi is in this episode, man what a show!
Deer Lady is right behind William Knifeman aka Spirit as my favorite character in the show. I have never seen Native lore captured so beautifully and in such a terrifying way that took me back to all my stories being told as a kid.
This was a great episode that took a deep dive into Big's past and why he isn't just a conspiracy theorist, he actually has seen some wild shit! This show is spot on with how we dress, I talk about that. Also how we need to guard our stories a little so we don't get people trying to recreate this, a lot of Kenny Boy's out there...gotta watch out.
Please like, subscribe, and leave reviews if you can. Thank you so much for listening.
Duration:00:56:53
Reservation Dogs Episode 4
10/1/2021
This episode was real...like very real and strange. Absent father, people who have a weird Native fetish, phallic beaded jewelry, and of course frybread at diabetes awareness fairs.
I discuss the anti-black criticism surround this show, specifically targeted around this particular episode. I also talk about some of the great topics raised, like sexualization of Native women. How Native women are always the caregivers but never taken care of by their communities. Also dead beat dads in Indian Country and where this episode got it right and not so right.
I close it out with positives, negatives, and final thoughts. Listen soon for the upcoming episode on episode 5, my FAVORITE of season 1.
Enjoy!
Duration:00:53:55
Bobby Wilson
9/18/2021
Writer, actor, artist, comedian...what can this guy not do?!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bobby to talk about his work on Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs. Keeping the spirit of making my show a mini-series about Reservation Dogs I thought it was fitting that we invite someone that writes for the show!
We talked a lot about his career. How he got to the point where he is writing on two major shows? We discuss Native representation up to this point, where we go from here, and how Reservation Dogs has changed the game already.
Hope you all enjoy and have a good one everybody!
Duration:00:49:16
Reservation Dogs Episode 3
9/14/2021
Let's run away together and live off the land...let's get some Sonics!
Episode 3 brought us talk about shapeshifters, bad medicine, Sonics, legendary knockout stories, and reconnecting with our kin.
Listen as I discuss the show's subtle humor it brings, so hard. Also how I'm worried this is going to be stolen by other people who see how much attention this show is getting. Last, hear me wrap up my thoughts about the show thus far.
I hope you all enjoy this awesome episode that brought us Gary Farmer as Uncle Brownie. Have a great one everybody!
Duration:00:55:33
Reservation Dogs Episode 2
9/4/2021
Hi there everybody!
Episode 2 brings us to the IHS clinic, of all places. I discuss how this is something I didn't know I needed, real life interactions at the clinic. It's such a random place where you can meet elders, family members, and maybe find love.
Reservation Dogs continue to set the bar on Native representation in TV and the hits keep coming with each episode.
Let me know what you think and look out for episode 3 coming soon!
Duration:00:59:46