What We’re Working On
MY NAME IS NOT AMY: After nearly four years in the making, our short film MY NAME IS NOT AMY (19min) premiered at the Denver Film Festival in November 2024 and is currently on its festival run. We are coordinating various community and impact screening events for both virtual and live audiences. Visit our website www.MyNameIsNotAmy.com for more information.
SACRED LAND [working title]: A short film based on the work of Richard Williams (Oglala Lakota/Northern Cheyenne) and his organization, People of the Sacred Land, as the Truth, Restoration, & Education Commission (TREC). The reports provide a comprehensive examination of the extensive damage endured by Native peoples due to forced relocation, illegal seizure of land, violations of human rights, acts of violence, warfare, deceptive practices, and other illicit actions perpetrated by the state of Colorado, its citizens, and the U.S. government and federal agents over the past 170 years. This film will explore what reconciliation and healing look like through a dynamic constellation of movements across Colorado and led by Native artists, activists, and youth who are boldly reclaiming their creative, cultural, and narrative sovereignty.
ORIGIN STORY [working title]: This observational feature (in development and early production) addresses the clash of narratives gripping the American psyche, in search of a common starting point. What are the consequences of unquestioning faith and belief in the American Dream? How does it conflict with Native history, and our collective indigenous truth?
Anthony checking in moments before his first Muay Thai fight in Aurora, Colorado.
AKÍČITA: AKÍČITA (Warrior) follows Boulder, Colorado residents Anthony Martinez (Yellow Horse), a 21-year-old amateur Muay Thai fighter and enrolled Lakota member, and his 26-year-old coach, Nico Padilla (Chiricahua Apache+Hopi), facing Anthony’s first bout. Through observational footage and unapologetically Indigenous perspectives, we witness Anthony and Nico on a coming-of-age journey that honors sacred masculinity, youth’s roles in community, and the fight to reclaim culture, land, and identity.
Herbalist, artifact medium, and urban shaman, Monticue Connally.
AFRO ARCANA [working title]: In this experimental short film-in-progress, our brother, herbalist, artifact medium, and urban shaman Monticue Connally reflects on growing up “different” from family and friends in his tight-knit Denver community.
FOR THE PEOPLE [working title]: A short film, with support from the Colorado Creative Industries and National Endowment for the Arts Folk and Traditional Arts Grant, that follows four generations of the Yellow Horse family as the Rocky Mountain Indigenous Dancers, and their cross-cultural healing work throughout the region.
6-year old Sage Yellowhorse Martinez with the Rocky Mountain Indigenous Dancers warming up for an event at The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, CO.
We are also building a collaborative photography workshop for Native youth in the Denver area funded by the RedLine INSITE Fund, with support from Creative Nations.