By Rob Schmidt 

From the rez to the red carpet. That could be the  best way to sum up the second successful year of Southern California Indian Center’s Creative Spirit initiative. 

The journey began with a short script contest won by two first-time Native American screenwriters. Weeks later, it concluded with a world premiere   on November 10, 2007, at Paramount Studios’ Sherry Lansing Theater. 

The purpose of the Creative Spirit program is to foster employment and training opportunities for American Indians in the film industry.  The program creates meaningful relationships between Native filmmakers and industry veterans by providing an environment for professional collaboration. 

Such was the case with 2007’s productions: Ancestor Eyes, written and directed by Kalani Queypo (Blackfeet/Hawaiian), and Two Spirits, One Journey, written and produced by Shawn Imitates Dog (Oglala Lakota). 

The winning scripts were selected by a blind judging committee from a nationwide pool of entries. The winning writers were given the option of directing, then supplied with high-definition video equipment and a small budget for cast and crew. Over the course of a week, the two films were simultaneously shot, edited, and screened. 

“We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished with Creative Spirit,” said Southern California Indian Center planner James Lujan, who oversaw the effort.  “It shows that there’s a lot of Native American talent capable of writing, directing, acting, and producing their own stories on a professional level.” 

Ancestor Eyes
Ancestor Eyes  tells the story of a mother (Tantoo Cardinal) coming to terms with the declining health of her daughter (Rulan Tangen).  “I really wanted to do an homage to matriarchal power, to the love between a mother and a daughter,” said Queypo.  “An homage to the life-givers and the caregivers.” 

The story takes place mainly in a single bedroom.  That was a risky choice, but Queypo sought a certain degree of intimacy. He wanted to convey the feeling of dropping in, he said, so “we’re hearing things that we ought not to hear, and we’re seeing things that we shouldn’t see.” 

Queypo emphasizes the circular nature of his themes. The mother thinks she knows best but learns from the daughter, who becomes the parent and guide. The mother lets go of her preconceptions and accepts what’s happening. 

At the end, the mother finally sees her daughter through ancestors’ eyes. The daughter has become like a soaring hawk or a spirit from a legend: a figure who brings joy to the world while briefly passing through. 

For writer/director/producer Queypo, the biggest challenge in making his film was juggling so many different tasks. “I felt like I was doing three jobs at once,” he said.  “And it’s sort of like having too many children. You feel like you can’t pay enough attention to each one.” 

Two Spirits, One Journey
Two Spirits, One Journey  deals with a gay relationship on the Pine Ridge reservation. Luke (Alex Meraz) wants to come out and be himself, even if it means leaving the rez. Chris (Patrick David) would rather pretend to be straight than face ostracism. 

The title comes from the “two spirits” term for gay Indians. Traditionally, most tribes recognized homosexuality not as a sin or curse but simply as another identity. They didn’t reject gays, they respected them. 

But things have changed since then.  “When I first started writing this, it was a personal story, so I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure what the ramifications would be,” said Imitates Dog. Normally, “we just don’t talk about it.” 

But he persevered because he knew the issue was important. “It’s good for the community to accept it, and understand it, that it does exist,” he added. “With HIV/AIDS being on the rise on reservations, I think the timing of [the film] coming out was perfect.” 

Like Queypo, Imitates Dog found the lack of time, money, and resources daunting. He also faced a special problem. “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to cast the two male characters, because the whole stereotype—being a gay actor and a Native actor,” he said.  But Meraz and David were professionals who took pride in their work. 

The Next Steps
Since the premiere, Queypo and Imitates Dog have been fine-tuning their work: editing scenes and fixing sound problems. The films will then join last year’s winners—Pow Wow Dreams and He Can’t Be Caught—on the film festival circuit.  The 2006 films have already been screened at the American Indian Film Festival and other venues. 

James Lujan has big plans for future Creative Spirit competitions.  “If we can raise the money, I’d like to do Creative Spirit more than once a year,” he said.  “For now, we may move up the date earlier for next year’s Creative Spirit films to increase our film festival opportunities, possibly as early as September.  SCIC Executive Director Paula Starr and I are also talking about the possibility of making next year’s short screenplay contest more theme-oriented.  For instance, we may put out a call for fun, action-oriented scripts to balance out the human drama stories we have now.

“I hope that as Creative Spirit continues to develop its Hollywood connections and grow its body of work, the film industry will recognize that there is not only a tremendous amount of talent in the Native film community,” he continued, “but also that there is a wealth of untold, compelling stories that have the potential to cross over to mainstream audiences.  This business is all about art and commerce, and there’s no reason why everyone can’t benefit. Ultimately, I’d like to see the day when Creative Spirit is producing full-length, low-budget features and earning enough money to sustain itself and its next project.”