Oneida Indian Nation Homelands (July 25, 2019) — The Oneida Indian Nation announced today that the Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program will host a short-film series on Thursday, August 8, as part of its Native Filmmakers Lab. The joint initiative is designed to expand the reach of Native storytellers in Upstate New York through local film screenings and workshops.
This free community event will be held at Turning Stone Resort Casino and feature screenings of the latest films by five Native directors, plus a Q&A with award-winning filmmaker Erica Tremblay. Ms. Tremblay’s work has been shown at more than 60 film festivals and featured on PBS, CNN and IFC. She was recently honored as a “Native American 40 Under 40” and is a 2018 Sundance Native Filmmakers Lab Fellow.
The event will show Ms. Tremblay’s most recent film, “Little Chief,” as well as work by Shane McSauby (“Mino Bimaadiziwin”), Razelle Benally (“I Am Thy Weapon”), Shaandiin Tome (“Mud”) and Erin Lau (“The Moon and the Night”).
Oneida Indian Nation Member Jolene Patterson (Wolf Clan), a photographer and aspiring filmmaker, will also be recognized by Sundance and Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter at the event. Jolene is a 2019 recipient of the Sundance Institute’s Full Circle Fellowship, which aims to support the next generation of Native American storytellers. The fellowship, awarded each year to three young artists out of hundreds of applications from around the country, provides hands-on opportunities in filmmaking. The fellows, who will attend the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, are mentored throughout the year by esteemed independent filmmakers and industry leaders.
Art and cultural identity are close to Jolene’s heart and a part of the fabric of her family. “Both my dad and my mom love to teach about our culture,” she says. “I’d love to share more of that through film or photography. I grew up dancing with my mom at powwows, and now my sister is learning to teach our language.”
The August 8 film series is free and open to the public. Beginning at 8 pm, the event will take place in Turning Stone Casino’s Seneca Room.
For more information about the Native film series at Turning Stone Resort Casino, visit the Oneida Indian Nation website.
Guests interested in attending the August 8th film series at Turning Stone should RSVP to Sarah.Koral@turningstone.com or 315.361.8191.
About the Oneida Indian Nation
The Oneida Indian Nation is a federally recognized Indian nation in Central New York. A founding member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Six Nations or Iroquois Confederacy), the Oneida Indian Nation sided with the Americans in the Revolutionary War and was thanked by Congress and President George Washington for its loyalty and assistance. Today, the Oneida Nation consists of about 1,000 enrolled Members, most of them living in Central New York. The Oneida Nation’s enterprises, which employ more than 4,750 people, include Turning Stone Resort Casino, Yellow Brick Road Casino, Point Place Casino, Maple Leaf Markets, SāvOn Convenience stores, an RV Park and three marinas. Proceeds from these enterprises are used to rebuild the Nation’s economic base and provide essential services, including housing, health care, and education incentives and programs, to its Members.