With the highly anticipated epic Western crime drama from none other than the godfather of modern cinema himself, Scorsese starrer Flower Moon Killers is not the only film that explores historical injustices against North America’s indigenous communities. Indigenous cinema has made significant strides in recent years, attracting international attention and contributing to a broader understanding of Indigenous cultures and experiences.
North American Indigenous cinema refers to films created by filmmakers of Indigenous descent in North America and often explore the unique perspectives, cultures, histories, and contemporary experiences of Indigenous peoples, including Native American, First Nations, Inuit, and mixed race.
ten “Rhymes for Young Ghouls” (2013)
Set in the 1970s, Jeff Barnabas (Blood Quantum, The Colony) presents a serious and thought-provoking drama that follows a young Mi’kmaq girl named Aila (Kawennahere Devery Jacobs) and his experiences living on a Canadian Indian reserve. The film explores the legacy of residential schools in Canada, where Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families and subjected to cultural assimilation and abuse. Featuring Aila’s various acts of resistance to confront the oppressive conditions they face, Rhymes for Young Ghouls is a coming-of-age drama that highlights the bonds of friendship and community support between the characters as they face adversity together.
The film received critical acclaim, including awards for Best Director and Best Actor and nominations for Best Picture and Best Score, but more importantly, it managed to shine a light on a dark chapter in the Canadian history and to raise awareness of the lasting impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities.
9 “Atanarjuat: The fast runner” (2001)
The fast runner is an epic Canadian film based on an Inuit legend and is renowned for being the first feature film ever made entirely in the Inuktitut language. The story follows a young experienced Inuit hunter named Atanarjuat (Natar Ungalaaq), who is chosen as a “fast runner” in a traditional race. With jealousy and conflict arising between him and his rival, Oki, and a love for a woman complicating matters, a chain of events is set in motion that challenges traditions and beliefs.
It won the Caméra d’Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and was widely praised by critics for its storytelling, cinematography and authentic depiction of Inuit life. Its director, Zacharias Kunukbrings to the table his vast wisdom on Inuit culture and climate change to explore themes of cultural preservation, conflict, betrayal and resilience. The fast runner is a cultural milestone and a major contributor to the recognition of Indigenous cinematography and storytelling.
8 Winter in the Blood (2013)
Based on the novel of the same name by the Native American author James Welch, Winter in the blood follows Virgil, a struggling middle-aged Blackfoot Native American (Chase Spencer), who wakes up drunk in a ditch and returns home to find that his wife has left him. As he embarks on a journey to find her, Virgil is confronted with surreal and dreamlike encounters from his past, blurring the lines of reality and his own troubled psyche against the backdrop of the harsh Montana landscape.
The film explores themes of identity, cultural disconnection, and the legacy of colonialism that affected Native American communities with a strong visual style and symbolic imagery. The New York Times said the film showed compassion for the “wounds of childhood” and the “trap of ethnicity”, while praising the cinematographer. Paula Huidobro (Million dollar arm, Coda) to capture the plains of Montana and the lyrical sweeps that accompany the ebb and flow of Virgil’s memories and hallucinations. With a soundtrack that includes Heartless bastards And Robert PlanteThis is a film not to be missed.
7 Best of Drunktown (2014)
Navajo-raised director Sydney Freeland (Star Trek: Strange New World, Fear the Walking Dead) brings us a slow-burn film based in New Mexico exploring the lives of three young Native Americans living on the Navajo reservation. Best of Drunktown unfolds as three characters, each with their own issues, cross paths, including a trans woman who desires to become a model (Angeline Morningstar), a young girl searching for her past after being adopted by a white Christian family (Carmen Moore), and a young future father (Jeremy Bitsui), on the way to basic training, to be able to take care of her future son.
Premiering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and considered an important contribution to Native American cinema, Best of Drunktown is a tribute to the director own experiences as a transgender woman growing up surrounded by Navajo traditions and chronicles a rather dark side commonly seen in many young Native Americans today.
6 The Fancydancing Enterprise (2002)
Sherman AlexieProminent Native American writer, poet and filmmaker of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene heritage, wrote and directed The business of fancy dance largely based on biographical experiences of himself and the actors involved. The film follows a Native American poet who leaves his tribal roots behind for a more urban life in Seattle, only to return to the Spokane reservation for the funeral of a close childhood friend.
Known for his poignant stories, evocative poetry, and thought-provoking examination of the intersection between modernity and tradition in the lives of indigenous peoples, The business of fancy dance is a significant example of Native American cinema and literature.
5 Mecca (2015)
Mecca is a 2015 independent drama from Sterling Harjo, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole heritage filmmaker. The film is set among indigenous individuals affected by homelessness and incarceration in the Tulsa area, a growing problem among communities across the United States today.
Offering a raw and authentic representation of Indigenous life in an urban context, Mecca (Muskogee for “Town King”) was named Best Feature Film at several festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as Best Actor awards to Rod Rondeaux (Towards the West, Comanche Moon), Zahn McClarnon (Fargo season 2, Reservation dogs) And Sarah Podemski (Reserve Dogs, Empire of Dirt).
4 The body remembers the opening of the world (2019)
Filmed primarily in one continuous take, this drama from several award-winning directors/writers Tail feathers of Elle-Máijá (from the Kainai First Nation) and born in Canada Kathleen Hepburn takes place over a single day in Vancouver following a chance interaction between two people from contrasting social backgrounds.
With its intimate and sensitive portrait of its characters and its focus on the experience of indigenous women, The body remembers the opening of the world received rave reviews for its storytelling, performances, and contribution to discussions about women’s rights and trauma. A truly poignant exploration of human connection in the face of adversity.
3 Smoke Signals (1998)
Notable for being one of the first feature films written, directed and produced by Native Americans to reach wide audiences in the United States and abroad, director Cheyenne Chris Eyre brings to the screen another adaptation of Sherman Alexie’s screenplays. Smoke Signals follows the journey of two friends from Coeur d’Alene, Victor Joseph (Adam’s Beach) and Thomas builds the fire (Evan Adams), on a comical adventure to retrieve Victor’s father’s ashes in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Smoke signals was critically acclaimed for its humor, irony and sensitive handling of cultural identity, father-son relationships, friendships and forgiveness. A reference in Native American cinemathe film is cited as an important work that challenges stereotypes and offers an authentic view of Indigenous voices and experiences in mainstream cinema.
2 Slash/Return (2022)
Set in the Canadian territory of Pangnirtung, Nunavut, and the first ever feature film to be shot there, Forward Slash/Return is a Canadian screenwriter, director and producer born in Igloolik Nyla Innuksuk first science fiction adventure. Starring Iqualuit, residents of Nunavut, the film follows a group of teenagers fighting aliens in their hometown.
With a clear homage to the ‘The thing‘, Forward Slash/Return certainly not afraid of the shadows. With sunlight in the area available 24/7, this is a personal interpretation of Nyla’s childhood with themes that somewhat poke fun at Inuit traditions through the eyes of talkative teenagers as they humorously battle an alien invasion.
1 Wild Indian (2021)
Ojibwe filmmaker Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. presents its first thriller with Michael Greyeyes (Togo, a woman walks in front), Chase Spencer (Exit, Twiglight: Breaking Dawn), And Jesse Eisenberg. West Indian follows Makwa and his friend coming to terms with a murder they committed as young boys, now older they must come to terms with their actions.
Greyeyes’ portrayal of an older Makwa (dubbed the Aboriginal version of Patrick Bateman) is a manifestation of trauma, repression and self-loathing that seems all too common in Aboriginal communities. With multiple nominations at major festivals for directing, writing and performances, Wild Indian certainly stands out as a must-see.
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