NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) celebrated Indigenous Cinema with riveting stories that included a Native American foster youth struggling after his mother’s suicide, a family terrorized by a child-stealing spirit, and a Sami woman who is attacked.
The program began with InFocus: Indigenous Cinema, a selection of short films by indigenous filmmakers that explore grief, the strength of family, resilience and survival. The program continued with Mouse, a unique and gripping psychological thriller by New York writer-director Adam Engel. The evening concluded with the shorts program “A Little Bit of Magic,” an eclectic mix of short narratives with something magical at each of their centers.
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NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year in addition to its special InFocus programming, which celebrates diversity, inclusion, and region. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects which will be considered for all upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the InFocus programming.
Here is some information on the filmmakers and their films, as well as their video interviews with NFMLA Board Chair Danny De Lillo (Twitter/Instagram: @dannydelillo).
“Sista,” directed by Chantelle Burgoyne
About Chantelle: Chantelle is a New Zealand-based filmmaker of Samoan, Tongan and European heritage. She has a first-class MA degree in Screen Production specializing in directing drama. Her thesis film “Tatau” won the Geoff Evans Prize for Excellence in Screen Production and screened at festivals in New Zealand and internationally, winning the award for Best Student Short Film at the 2012 CineQuest Film Festival. Chantelle was selected as one of the directors for the upcoming Ngā Pouwhenua/Cook joint indigenous feature film initiative.
About “Sista”: A betrayal of trust between two sisters on the cusp of adolescence sets off a chain of events that has the potential to shatter their relationship forever.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Chantelle Burgoyne, director of “Sista”:
“The Lights Are On, No One’s Home,” directed by Faye Ruiz
About Faye: Faye Ruiz is a filmmaker based in Tucson, Arizona. Her filmmaking is guided primarily by her experiences as a Mexican trans woman, and she has directed three short films. Her most recent, ‘The Lights Are On, No One’s Home’ has played festivals including BFI Flare, OutFest Fusion, Long Distance Film Festival and Palm Springs ShortsFest. The film had a theatrical and virtual-cinema run and is now available on DVD through DEDZA films in partnership with Kino Lorber.
About “The Lights Are On, No One’s Home”: A trans women lost in a gentrified version of the neighborhood she grew up in searches for her childhood home.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Faye Ruiz, director of “The Lights Are On, No One’s Home”:
“Beyond the Fuchsias,” directed by Tara Jackson
About Tara: Originally from the UK, Tara moved to the U.S. in 2016 and is now based in San Antonio, Texas. She completed an Acting Film Conservatory at the New York Film Academy in 2015. “Beyond the Fuchsias” was her first screenplay, and her directorial debut. Since 2016, the screenplay has been a Second Rounder and Semi-Finalist at the Austin Film Festival. Tara now has multiple screenplays that have found success at several screenwriting competitions.
About “Beyond the Fuchsias”: In 1960s England, a poverty-stricken teen girl earns a doctoral scholarship, but her tyrannical mother disapproves.
Watch the NFMLA interview withTara Jackson, director of “Beyond the Fuchsias.”:
Instagram: @tara.screenwriter
“The Grief Cube,” directed by Adam Cox
About Adam: Adam Cox is a Chamorro filmmaker from Lancaster, California who wants to take full advantage of what a film can be. He started cutting together skate tapes when he was just in middle school, shooting clips of friends skateboarding and mashing them together with stop-motion animations. In college, he focused some of his studies toward directing, acting, and sound design. As a director, he believes that everything, from the scrip- to the frame to the edit and sound — should be driving a particular point forward. He hopes to continue making films and to develop his voice as a young Indigenous filmmaker.
About “The Grief Cube”: When a loser is at odds with overcoming real loss, the “solution” he receives is a mysterious cube that he and his roommate must investigate to find any real closure.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Adam Cox, director of “The Grief Cube”:
Twitter: @foxyadamcox
Instagram: @adamusrex
“Must Love Pie,” directed by Patrick Clement
About Patrick: Patrick Clement is a Kansas-based screenwriter and filmmaker. In May 2020 he graduated from the Directing MFA Program at Columbia University in New York City. His award-winning short films have screened at festivals around the world including Reykjavik, Uppsala, Dances with Films, Cucalorus and more. His screenplays have been finalists at Screamfest, the Nashville Film Festival and in the top five on the Blacklist’s real-time Screenplay List. He’s a seven-time Kansas Press Association Award winner, a Catwalk Artist Residency fellow and a card-carrying member of the Wichita Postcard Club.
About “Must Love Pie”: A lovely man finds a love connection and someone dies.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Patrick Clement, director of “Must Love Pie”:
Twitter: @deturfilms
Instagram: @pattieclem
“Intrepidus,” directed by Alex Greenlee
About Alex: Alex is an award winning filmmaker recently graduating from Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts with a BFA in film production and a minor in advertising. His latest film, “Intrepidus,” stars Michael Horse (Twin Peaks, Call of the Wild) and Justin Rain (Fear the Walking Dead, Blackstone) and features the SFX work of Santino Ferrese (Star Trek: Discovery). Alex’s short film “Cybolica” has been selected for Gunpowder & Sky’s DUST platform, and he is developing it as a series. He is represented by A3 Artists Agency (agent: Adam Kanter) and Wicked Curve (manager: David Styne).
About “Intrepidus”: A Native American foster youth desperately struggles to accept his mother’s suicide as an ancient monster takes her shape to feed on his pain.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Alex Greenlee, director of “Intrepidus”:
Instagram: @alexgreenleeofficial
“Dogwood” directed by Maya Rose Dittloff
About Maya: “Maya Rose Dittloff (Ukkayǔ”kwīyinnimǎakii) is a Blackfeet, Mandan and Hidatsa writer and filmmaker from the mountains of Montana. Maya is a UCLA alumni, a former fellow for the LA Skins Fest Feature Writing Lab, and is currently a staff writer at AMC for the first drama television series with an all- Indigenous writing room. Maya is dedicated to increasing authentic Indigenous representation by bringing the truth and beauty of her Indigenous cultures to both film and television. Maya has been involved nationwide with the Native community while serving as an Ambassador to the American Indian College Fund, American Indian Business Leaders and Young Entertainment Activists.
About “Dogwood”: After Rose is sent into the wild to gather the white camas, she must decide to protect her sister against a dangerous truth.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Maya Rose Dittloff, director of “Dogwood”:
“The Occult Son,” directed by Patrick Murphy
About Patrick: Patrick is a Texas/Kansas native with a love for embarrassing his family with big Hollywood dreams and a frightening interest in the horror-comedy genre. He has earned himself two, count ’em TWO, awards as a WINNER and as a semi finalist for his previous work on the short film “Mad Love.”
About “The Occult Son”: A couple’s morning is interrupted when a witch moves in next door during a solar eclipse.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Patrick Murphy, writer of “The Occult Son”:
“My First Native American Boyfriend,” directed by Joseph Clift
About Joseph: Joey Clift is a comedian, TV writer, and enrolled Cowlitz Indian Tribal Member, currently working as a staff writer on the Netflix Kids animated fantasy adventure series Spirit Rangers. He was named one of Uproxx’s “26 Native American Comedians To Follow in 2020.” His award-winning animated short film “Telling People You’re Native American When You’re Not Native Is A Lot Like Telling A Bear You’re A Bear When You’re Not A Bear” recently finished a long and successful festival run. Most importantly, he created the LA Underground Cat Network, which is a 14,000-member strong Facebook group for Los Angeles comedians to share pictures of their cats.
About “My First Native American Boyfriend”: Johnny is Emily’s first Native American boyfriend, and now that they’ve been dating for a few months, she’s going to take this golden opportunity to apologize for every microaggression she has ever made against Native Americans.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Joseph Clift, director of “My First Native American Boyfriend”:
Twitter: @joeytainment
Instagram: @joeycliiiiiift
“Break Any Spell,” directed by Anton Jøsef
About Anton: The son of Austrian and Hungarian immigrants, Anton was born in Toronto and played NCAA D1 soccer before giving up his athletic career to pursue filmmaking. After years of shooting wedding videos, Anton had his first breakthrough directing a music video for Canadian indie rock band The Dears, which was featured on Wired Magazine and MTV. Anton’s passion for short-format storytelling helped him transition into directing TV commercials across the world. His clients include Starbucks, JEEP, the Asian Games, Century 21 and Samsung. “Break Any Spell” is his first narrative short, co-written and produced with his sister.
About Rachel: Rachel Boyd is an actress, known for “Break Any Spell” (2021), Grand Army (2020) and Shazam! (2019).
About “Break Any Spell”: When April sets off to battle in the the world of live-action-role-playing, her mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s reaches a breaking point.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Anton Jøsef (director) and Rachel Boyd (actress) from “Break Any Spell”:
Instagram: @rachel.boyd
“The Tongues (Njoukcamat),” directed by Marja Bål Nango
About Marja: Marja Bål Nango is a Sami director and artist from Galgujávri, Norway. Her education stems from Nordland Art and Film School, Film & Television studies at Lillehammer University College and Film producing at Sámi University College. Marja has participated in many international film festivals and is a member of the Sami International Film Institute. She is also a member of the board of the Northern Norway Film Center, a film funding center in Northern Norway.
About “The Tongues (Njoukcamat)”: During a blizzard on the tundra, a Sami woman is herding her reindeer when she is attacked by a man.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Marja Bål Nango, director of “The Tongues (Njoukcamat)”:
Main image: A scene from “The Tongues (Njoukcamat),” directed by Marja Bål Nango.
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