Smoke Signals

From Representation in Cinema · 01:04:26

Show by Our Voices Project LLC

Hey pod and Happy Thursday! November is Native American Heritage Month and Dryden Theatre is presenting five films center Indigenous voices of Turtle Island throughout the month. These screenings are free and open to the public. Visit eastman.org/native-american-cinematic-heritage to learn more and to see the full lineup for the month.This is the 1st spoiler special in the Native American Cinematic Heritage Series discussing the film, Smoke Signals (1998), which screened yesterday. This film was originally promoted as the first feature written, directed, produced, and acted by Native Americans. But first-time director Eyre's handling of Sherman Alexie's witty screenplay transcends such easy labels. This coming-of-age movie is about an unlikely friendship between two young men on a road trip off their reservation. Together, they try to make sense of their haunted pasts. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won two awards, the film brings incredible performances by Gary Farmer of Cayuga, Wolf Clan, Adam Beach of Plains Ojibwe & Anishinaabe from Dog Creek First Nation Reserve, Tantoo Cardinal of Cree and Metis, Elaine Miles of Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Irene Bedard of Inupiat and Yup'ik Nations and Evan Adams of Tla’amin Nation to form a multi-generational story of grief and redemption.I’m joined in studio by co-host and Outreach Facilitator for Our Voices Project, Courtney Fleming. Courtney is also the producer of our short film that we’re turning into a docuseries, This Is My Grandmother, a story about two Indigenous families—one from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and one from the Tuscarora Nation—interviewing each other across three generations. You can learn more information on our website at ourvoicesproject.com/thisismygrandmother.Back on the podcast tonight to discuss the film is Ronald Garrow. Ronald Garrow is Akwesasne Mohawk, Bear Clan, and Executive Director of Indigenous Peoples Center in Rochester, NY.His commitment to service also includes local environmentalism and neighborhood improvement initiatives. He has participated in community cleanup efforts along the Genesee River Trail, helping promote environmental stewardship, protect local natural resources, and encourage community responsibility for maintaining the beauty and accessibility of public spaces. He believes caring for the environment is an extension of caring for the community and preserving the land for future generations. Over the last several years, Ron has played an important role in advancing Indigenous visibility and cultural understanding, including efforts surrounding the recognition and celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day in Rochester and Irondequoit where he helped bring greater recognition to Haudenosaunee history, heritage, and contributions through community and educational initiatives.We have the Curator of Film Exhibitions at The Dryden Theatre, Jared Case. Dryden Theatre, a 500-seat premiere space at George Eastman Museum, is devoted to showing all films in their original formats, thus honoring and reproducing their historical—and aesthetically supreme—modes of exhibition. It is one of the very few theaters in the world equipped for the projection of original nitrate film that also makes nitrate film screenings part of its regular program. Learn more at eastman.org and you can also follow Dryden Theatre on Instagram here.Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, & Threads.Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more spoiler specials from both the Native American Cinematic Heritage series as well as the Witness Palestine Film Series, both of which have programming at Dryden Theatre.Mentioned in this episode:Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

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