This made me cry all over again.
This is what I want do: Be part of the changing narrative around Indigenous people and their depiction in film and television production.
I hope I can not just use my voice to do it but raise other voices as well.
Not being Indigenous or from a PoC community, it may not be easy to see a problem with this casting, but within our communities this is a big issue.
No offense to Sydney, but Nani is Indigenous Hawaiian with strong features and dark skin, this casting is blatant colorism.
While we’re all going after the Catholics, which rightfully so, let’s not forget the Mormons role in stealing Indigenous children and their own version of residential schools.
It was called the Indian Student Placement Program which put Native kids with white Mormon families.
Hey Film Twitter, I got a question.
We all know red flag movies, Fight Club, The Joker, etc, that we all can spot on sight, but is there any green flag movies?
Movies that you hear someone say that makes you instantly trust or like a person?
ABC BOUGHT OUR SHOW!!!!
Holy fuck!!!
I’ve been crying for like the last 40 minutes!!
Oh my god!
I gotta give a huge shout to
@JeffLieber
for trusting my voice to help create this show.
I love all of you who have been so supportive. It has meant the world to me!
🧡🧡🧡
I know a lot of people say that the human characters in Godzilla movies are worthless, but in Minus One they are so compelling.
I hope Monsterverse takes note. Your humans don’t have to be one dimensional. They can be flawed, complex, and fascinating.
This year I noticed a lot of people saying that it doesn’t “feel right” celebrating the 4th of July.
As an Indigenous person, I gotta say:
Welcome to how we feel.
Many Black and Indigenous people have felt this dissonance our whole lives.
38 years old today.
I’m not gonna lie, this has been a good year. One of healing and rediscovering passions for art and creativity.
The old traumas are still there, but they aren’t as sharp as they once were.
I’m glad I’m here.
I’m glad I’m still alive.
Love to you all.
Nizhoni.
@FRIDAKHALIFA
The way the cops take it? It’s fuckin ridiculous. Cool they show restraint when it’s for white people why don’t we get the same treatment?
This program destroyed lives. It was nothing but a sick colonizing fantasy by delusional religious leaders who wanted to fulfill their sick idea of a prophecy.
The LDS church has a long and bloody history with Indigenous peoples and we should never forget that.
The church said it was about giving Indigenous children access to education, but it was really about one thing, getting kids accustomed to the high moral and religious values of the church.
This would inevitably lead to a clash of cultures which would force these kids to choose:
In the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites were cursed with dark skin and by embracing the doctrine of the LDS faith the Lamanites would become “white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome.”
This is the ideology that drove this program.
Not helping children in need, but in the hopes
The family they left or their new Mormon family.
The church would send “recruiters” to reservations to find suitable children, starting at 8 baptism age, and would tell their families the benefits of sending their children such as financial and educational benefits.
Are you Government Cheese old? 👨🏻🦳
Did you know?
The U.S. government still has 1.4 billion pounds of cheese stored in a cave underneath Springfield, Missouri.
There was abuse in this system. How could that not happen?
Four Navajos sued the LDS church for the sexual abuse they faced during their time in this program.
While they reached a settlement with this four, the church has stated it will never apologize for this program.
One of the main goals of this program was to “bring the Lamanites to their former glory.”
For those who don’t know, Lamanites are Indigenous people in LDS mythology and were the chosen people, but have fallen from grace.
Conversion to the “true gospel” was the plan.
The problem was thousands of kids would be sent with these families with very little oversight. The church hired case workers but they were spread thin and kids would maybe see one every few months.
The foster families would clash with the children over culture issues.
It’s cool listening to the Supreme Court oral arguments on ICWA and thinking of the potential that Native sovereignty could be undermined.
It’s “Kill the Indian” but instead of bullets it’s federal policy.
Of saving them from their own sinful ways, which was their traditional lives. The program weaponized LDS identity against their Indigenous identity simply by stating it was a “higher calling.”
Like other residential schools, there were rules in place to prevent practice of
“Remember, the people with whom you associate at home, at church, at school or wherever you will be may judge all Indian people according to what you do and say,”
This was what was taught to our children. That our world and culture was not valued and was wrong.
Indigenous culture.
A guide was given to these children and advised such as not speak their traditional languages “when there is someone present who does not understand.”
It also advised the students not to participate in cultural practices when they returned home in the summer.
“For years they have been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as they were promised.”
This idea created major dissonance within these Indigenous children as they would not feel at place back at their homes.
They were torn between two worlds.
The thing was, this program was viewed as a success.
Apostle Spencer W. Kimball said in a church talk about the progress and how the children’s skin was “as light as Anglos.” Children living in foster homes were “several shades lighter” than their dark fathers and mothers.
@somebadideas
It’s like he’s taking pages from the Nicolas Cage/John Travolta playbook of having fun acting and I’m fuckin diggin it! I love the wild choices he makes
39.
That’s how old I am today. It’s wild to think I’m here.
Still alive. Still going.
I’m grateful for everyone in my life that has helped and supported me. It means the world to me. I’ve gotten more love than I probably deserve.
Here’s to some more.
A former coworker asked me about Reservation Dogs and said he didn’t understand the shapeshifter aspect and why the characters were put off by it.
This is my response:
Gonna write a stereotypical Hallmark movie of an overworked big city business woman who goes back to her small mountain town and begins to fall for the baker.
Then at the 35 minute mark, Jason Vorhees shows up.
I’m watching I Think You Should Leave season 3 (It’s brilliant) and it’s a great example of how comedy doesn’t need to punch down.
This show is fuckin hilarious and has me dying without hurting any group.
Tim Robinson is a comedic genius.
Guys!
I got this producer job I went for! It’s great pay and remote which is amazing!
It helps me be creative for a great cause!!
I told my mom and we both started crying. I wish I could be down there to hug her and hug my kid.
I’m so happy!!
EVERYONE!! They loved it and we are movin on!!
Holy fuck I’m crying!!
I was so worried I fucked it up!
We still have more to do but they are working with our pilot!!!
Ahéhee’ to everyone who has been there for me and encouraged me along the way! I love you!!
The 2013 Japanese remake of Unforgiven, which keeps with the tradition of western/samurai exchange, is available on Prime.
I have waited 10 years to watch this movie as it was never released here.
I hope it gets a physical release one day.
A fantastic film.
@raccorns
@tulukaruq
I agree. Working 3 jobs on top of freelancing here and there and going to school on top of spending time with my kid. It sucks. I hate it.
It’s Father’s Day which means it is time for to say if you don’t have a dad or a bad relationship with them, I’ll beat them up and be your new dad.
I’ll teach you how to cook, have a catch, and be proud of you and everything you.
I know it can be hard out there and I got you.
ok, it's
#Oscar
Weekend. tell me about your most deeply held Oscar grudges. they can be wins, losses, snubs anything. my big ones are: no JLO nom for Hustlers, LaLaLand stealing LMM's EGOT with a mediocre song, and Emma Stone(?) stealing Amy's nom for Arrival. what are yours?
I had a dream and started writing some notes about this character. My buddy loved the idea and drew him out.
Would anyone be interested in a roaring 20s Navajo bank robber?
Yá'át'ééh!
I'm a Native (Diné) filmmaker and this is my reel. Having worked in film and television production for 8 years, I have done many things.
I can write, direct, produce, grip, gaff, run sound, and much more!
I hope you enjoy!
My cousin went missing 20 years ago.
We found the truck with their belongings in it.
My uncle and I searched for them for weeks in that desert and never found them. They vanished without a trace.
Today is a day to remember them and all the countless others we lost.
#MMIR
Out of the 4 jobs I applied to in the last month, I landed 3 of them. Looks like I’m officially Choosing the school.
Gonna be teaching film and media studies this August!
I just watched Frybread Face and Me and I was crying. There are some moments in this movie that felt like memories.
It was beautiful.
The kind of movie I need to get up and make.
Working in film taught me:
It doesn’t matter if a movie is bad because that means blue collar workers get paid and can take care of their families.
I don’t trash bad movies because that movie meant someone’s kid got food or it paid rent for another worker.
That’s a great thing.
Overcame a life of gangs, trauma and addiction. Then became the first in my family to not only go to college, but graduate.
Now working on myself to become a better man and father to my son while also going back to school and working on shooting my first feature.
@raccorns
@tulukaruq
It totally is. I feel like shit and am tired all the time. I count the days down to the precious couple hours I have free to be with my kid and when I am with him, I feel like a bad dad because I'm tired.
I also hate that I feel lazy about quitting one of my jobs.
We have this older Navajo lady who stays here and when she sees me she always shouts “Yá’át’ééh yázhí!”
I call her shimá (mom).
She always speaks Diné to me and it just fills my heart with so much joy.