Join the Museum of the Cherokee Indian for an evening celebrating Indigenous filmmakers and film. All proceeds directly support Community Learning and Educational Programming at MCI.

Limited general admission tickets are available to enrolled members of federally recognized Tribal Nations at no charge. Learn more and request tickets here.

Panel Discussion with Indigenous Filmmakers

Special guests Sterlin Harjo (Seminole Nation, executive producer/showrunner of the Golden Globe-nominated FX series Reservation Dogs), Brit Hensel (Cherokee Nation, Director of Sundance-selected short film “ᎤᏕᏲᏅ [What They’ve Been Taught]”), Keli Gonzales (Cherokee Nation, Associate Producer of of Sundance-selected short film “ᎤᏕᏲᏅ [What They’ve Been Taught]),” Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, writer/director/editor/producer, “SWIPE” and “STRIPPER”), and Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee, writer/director, “The Daily Life of Mistress Red”) will discuss Indigenous representation in television and film. Q&A to follow.

The Films

• ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught), 2022
  Brit Hensel (Cherokee Nation), Director; Keli Gonzales (Cherokee Nation), Executive Producer
  This film explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker. “ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught)” circles the intersection of tradition, language, land, and a commitment to maintaining balance. This film was created in collaboration with independent artists from both Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
• ᎡᏘᏴ ᏥᎾᎾᏛᏁᎮ ᎠᏰᎵᏐ ᎾᏛᏁᎰ (She Carries On) (2020)
  Natalie M. Welch (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Producer; Isaac Fowler, Director; Tim Morris, Director
  Among the Cherokee people in North Carolina, the cultural tradition of stickball exemplifies “more than a game.” Cherokee women played the game at the turn of the 21st century for several years and reflect on their time playing and what the game means to the past, present, and future of Cherokee people.
• SWIPE (2020)
  Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Director, Writer, Producer, Editor; Doug Barden, Producer; Zane Kalnina, Producer; Aakash Raj, Director of Photography
  A delinquent teenage boy learns a valuable lesson about growing up.
• STRIPPER, 2022
  Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Director, Writer, Editor, Producer; Chris Thompson, Writer; Robert L. Hunter, Director of Photography; Thomas Hartman, Producer; Tiffany Conklin, Producer
  When 13-year-old Cricket walks past the local strip club with his friends, nothing can prepare him for who they see walking into work: his mom. With rumors starting to spread, Cricket must take matters into his own hands to clear his mom’s name and prove that she isn’t a stripper.
• The Daily Life of Mistress Red (unreleased)
  Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee), Writer, Director; Jhane Myers, Producer; Sunrise Tippeconnie, Cinematographer; Michael D. Jones, Producer/Assistant Director; Jennifer Reeder, Supervising Producer; Rob Fatal, Editor
  “The Daily Life of Mistress Red” is a mockumentary that explores the world of kink, Native women and defeating white supremacy. Marie Callingbird is a Native fashion boutique owner by day and Mistress Red by night. Mistress Red is a dominatrix for hire who takes the effects of racism, sexism and colonization into her own hands by educating white supremacists through pleasure. This project focuses on issues within the circle of Indigenous women, racism, and the acceptance of sexuality.