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Remaining Native

“I want to hurt for him and all my other ancestors. I want to remember where I come from and to not forget the community that raised me.” — Ku Stevens

Trauma carries on through generations with the ripple effects lasting long after the ancestor’s pain is forgotten. One young man is keeping the memory of his great-grandfather alive. It’s not something he has to do but rather something he feels compelled to do.

Directed by Paige Bethmann (Haudenosaunee), Remaining Native is a documentary that follows the story of Ku Stevens, an Indigenous teen and track star who dreams of becoming a college-level athlete. He runs on the open dirt roads of his native rural Nevada. It’s the same path that his great-grandfather ran when he escaped the Stewart School, a reformatory boarding school that forced Native American children to assimilate into white culture.

As Ku, whose full name Kutoven means “the eagle who brings light from the darkness”, trains towards a sub 9 minute 2-mile run, he contemplates the times his great-grandfather had to run and the suffering he must have endured to escape a cruel system that tried to strip him of his Native identity. Ku is wise beyond his years. To honor his ancestor and to help his community honor theirs, he helps lead a Remembrance Run; a 2-day, 50 mile race that follows the path that his great-grandfather would have taken to escape the Stewart School and return to his homeland.

Remaining Native beautifully balances the duality of the story in which Ku’s journey to become a college athlete mirrors his great-grandfather’s pursuit of freedom. It also works as a sports documentary with much time spent on Ku’s athletic journey. Ku is a fascinating subject and it’s clear he’ll go on to do great things. I do wish there was a bit more information about the history behind the Stewart School and how it affected Ku’s community. But overall this is Ku’s story and it’s an honor to witness it.

Remaining Native is part of 2025 SIFF’s cINeDIGENOUS festival program.

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Dear Aloha

“Aloha sustains Hawai’ians by reminding us who we are.”

Hawai’i is one of the most beautiful places on earth and the Kanaka (Native Hawai’ians) feel a strong connection to their homeland. However, over the years life on the islands has become too expensive for the Kanaka to live and thrive. Many move to the mainland to raise their families including director Cris Romento’s family who moved to Vancouver, Washington over thirty years ago. In Romento’s short documentary Dear Aloha, she interviews members of the Hawai’ian diaspora, in particular her father Eric who still mourns losing his homeland. He still feels the pride of his homeland as many in the diaspora do.

The film explores this displacement of Hawai’ians and the ongoing fight for the Kanaka to stay. A tender and bittersweet film with a lot of heart and a bit of hope for the future. I would love to see this expanded into a full-length feature. There are many films about immigration but not enough about diasporas. And the plight of the Hawai’ian diaspora is one that definitely needs to be spotlighted.

Description: “Two Native Hawai’ians living in the Pacific Northwest reflect on how Aloha sustains them amidst distance, loss, and longing.” (source)

Dear Aloha is part of 2025 SIFF’s cINeDIGENOUS festival program.

Posted BIPOC

Drowned Land

“If you go back to any industry or anybody coming to this valley, the only thing they’ve been after is natural resources. It was never to build something here. It was always to take something…”

“If you go back to any industry or anybody coming to this valley, the only thing they’ve been after is natural resources. It was never to build something here. It was always to take something…”

When President Andrew Jackson and Congress enacted the Indian Removal Bill, the Choctaw people were the first to be removed from their ancestral land. They were relocated by force to the Kiamichi River valley in Oklahoma. Jackson promised that Native Americans would possess their land “as long as the grass grows and the river runs.” Now in present day, the Choctaw Nation, the energy industry is threatening to stop that flow of water by creating a dam on the Kiamichi River. This puts the rural community and the delicate ecosystem of the valley at great risk. Water is life and changing the flow risks relocating the Choctaw people just like their ancestors had been years before.

Directed by Colleen Thurston, Drowned Land handles a serious subject with delicacy. The breathtaking beauty of the Kiamichi River valley is put on display with some amazing drone footage. Wisdom of the Choctaw members and the concerned locals shines through. The film serves as both a nature documentary and one about Native American history. Drowned Land is a true gem of a film.

Drowned Land is part of 2025 SIFF’s cINeDIGENOUS festival program.

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Tiger

Dana Tiger’s life has been one of both artistic success and great tragedy. Her father was an artistic genius and when he died tragically at the age of 26, Dana, her mother and her siblings took on the family business. They used the father’s art and created their own to start the Tiger silk screening t-shirt business. Highly successful through the 1990s the family thrived until death knocked on their door once again.

Directed by Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation/Kiowa), Tiger is a poetic exploration of art, family, and tragedy. With her body ravaged by the effects of Parkinson’s disease, Dana Tiger exemplifies spiritual strength. She is a gifted storyteller and conveys the importance of carrying her family’s legacy so beautifully in the film. A powerful piece of work made even more potent with its brevity.

Description: “Dana Tiger explores the art of her father, legendary Muscogee Creek artist Jerome Tiger, as a way to know him, the richness of her culture, and her family’s artistic tradition.” (source)

Tiger is part of the 2025 SIFF’s cINeDIGENOUS festival program.

Posted Film Reviews

Molli and Max in the Future

Molli (Zosia Mamet), a seventh-level space witch, meets Max (Aristotle Athari), a half-human, half-fishman, and the two hit off. Sort of. Over the span of twelve years, this pair of quirky and emotionally scarred lovebirds take us on a journey of their will-they-or-won’t-they romance. They meet up, they bond, they fight, then they part ways only to do the whole process all over again in the next intergalactic chapter. With each meeting their romantic feelings for each other deepen, possibly threatening the growing friendship they both hold dear. Along the way, Molli joins and escapes a cult, Max becomes a majorly hated celebrity and spokesperson for the soda Glorp and the two spend much of their efforts finding a romantic bond with others in their orbit. All the while, the world faces imminent destruction as the consumption of cheese will lead to the creation of a black hole that will swallow the universe. Will Molli and Max finally fall in love before everything ends?

Directed by Michael Lukk Litwak, Molli and Max in the Future is the perfect blend of romantic drama and space comedy. This indie gem is charming, visually engaging and just plain fun. Mamet and Athari are charismatic and fit beautifully in this alternative universe.

Molli and Max in the Future does a lot visually without the big studio budget. Even viewers like myself who aren’t drawn to sci-fi stories, will find a lot to enjoy with this one.

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