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Welcome to Heartdrum, a new imprint by Native American authors for kids 8+! Heartfelt, groundbreaking, and unexpected, these children’s books emphasize the present and future of Indian Country and the strength of young Indigenous heroes.

https://www.harpercollins.com/collections/heartdrum-books-by-native-american-authors

WNDB: We Need Diverse Books https://diversebooks.org/#start-here

FILMS TO WATCH:

WAR PONY, 2023

WAR PONY follows the interlocking stories of two young Lakota men on the Pine Ridge Reservation as they grapple with a world built against them and navigate unique paths to manhood.

ALASKAN NETS:

In Alaska’s last native reserve, two cousins lead their local basketball team to its first state championship in more than 30 years. It’s about a basketball team from an island off the coast of Southeast Alaska of called Metlakatla (see Google Maps) aka “Met”.

KEEPERS OF THE GAME: 2016

As they set their eyes on a championship, an all-Native American girls’ lacrosse team seeks to change their tribe’s attitudes about gender roles. So many conflicts… girls playing lacrosse when it’s a traditional men’s sport. / an all native girls team / low self esteem, related to being native, with many of the girls / cross-rival team that is not mostly tribal, but has an Indian mascot ??!!

RUNNING THE REZ DOCUMENTARY 2012

Racing the Rez follows Navajo and Hopi cross-country runners from two rival high schools as they put it all on the line for Tribal pride, triumph over adversity and state championship glory.

Win or lose, what they learn in the course of their seasons will have a dramatic effect on the rest of their lives.

RUNNING THE REZ DOCUMENTARY 2012

Racing the Rez follows Navajo and Hopi cross-country runners from two rival high schools as they put it all on the line for Tribal pride, triumph over adversity and state championship glory.

Win or lose, what they learn in the course of their seasons will have a dramatic effect on the rest of their lives.

FANCY DANCE, 2023

A Native woman kidnaps her niece from the child’s White grandparents as she searches for her missing sister in what Sundance describes as “a nuanced account of the human costs of the missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic and the possibilities of healing for those left behind.”

The film includes Native talent and crew, including actors Lily Gladstone, Blackfeet and Nimíipuu, who will appear in “Killers of the Flower Moon” this year; Canadian Isabel Deroy-Olson, “Three Pines”; and Ryan Begay, Diné, “Breaking Bad.” Officials from the Cherokee Tribal Film Office and other Oklahoma film officials are joining Tremblay and the cast and crew to support Native film during the festival.

INISKIM: DOCUMENTARY 2021

Shot on the real-life Blackfeet buffalo drive and inspired by a true story, Iniskim follows a young girl’s journey from trauma to recovery.

By reconnecting with the ancient power of the buffalo, the timeless landscape of her ancestors, and the wisdom of her culture, her life is changed forever.

INISKIM: DOCUMENTARY 2021

Shot on the real-life Blackfeet buffalo drive and inspired by a true story, Iniskim follows a young girl’s journey from trauma to recovery.

By reconnecting with the ancient power of the buffalo, the timeless landscape of her ancestors, and the wisdom of her culture, her life is changed forever.

ONE WITH THE WHALE, 2023

Documentary, 83 minutes Hunting whales is a matter of life or death for the residents of St. Lawrence, a remote island in the Bering Sea. So when Chris Apassingok becomes the youngest person to ever harpoon a whale for his Alaskan village, his mother proudly shares the news on Facebook. To her surprise, thousands of keyboard activists brutally attack Chris without fully understanding the scope of his accomplishment. One With The Whale is a heartwarming yet thrilling story of one family’s struggle to rebuild their shattered identities and regain a new foothold in both the ancient and modern world.

CULTURE SHOCK, 2024

“Culture Shock” follows Joey as they are sent to culture camp, on the Settlement where their family is from, for getting into trouble with the wrong crowd. This film captures so much of the beauty and strength of having connection to your community.

ON THE RIDGE. 2024

An inspirational story focusing on the success and triumph of the Oglala Lakota people of Pine Ridge. This documentary takes an in-depth look at the amazing programs, customs, and people that are making positive change on the Reservation.

BAD RIVER: Documentary film, 2024

Bad River, a documentary film set for release on March 15, 2024, delves into the real-life David-and-Goliath battle over the Line 5 Pipeline between the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Enbridge, a massive pipeline company. The film highlights the Bad River Band’s fight to protect their land from potential environmental catastrophe caused by the pipeline, which traverses their reservation and sits, exposed, near an eroding part of the Bad River. Despite the Band’s legal efforts and the clear risks posed by the pipeline’s deteriorating condition, the struggle persists in both legal and political arenas.

BRING THEM HOME, 2024

Bring Them Home tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago.

LITTLE CHIEF – OMELETEOwith Lily Gladstone

Trailer for Little Chief directed by Erica Tremblay. For more information, visit www.cinelasamericas.org

THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME, 2024

Sara Margrethe Oskal’s romantic debut film, takes place in the reindeer herding environment of Finnmarksvidda. Lena, a Sami artist returns to her hometown and is confronted with unpopular life choices.

Unexpectedly, love appears.

ECHO, 2024

Set in Oklahoma’s Choctaw Nation, Marvel Studio’s new miniseries Echo follows Maya Lopez(Alaqua Cox) as she returns home and connects with her Native American roots after a bounty has been placed on her head in New York – and the cast is full of Indigenous people from this side of the border.