LITTLE CHIEF
Directed by Erica Tremblay, a writer and director from the Seneca-Cayuga Nation, LITTLE CHIEF is a short that premiered at Sundance 2020 and was included on IndieWire’s list of the top 10 must-see short films at the fest last year. In this thoughtful and resounding 12-min short inspired by Erica’s mother, who taught on her Oklahoma reservation, we are introduced to a drained but resilient young teacher and a troubled boy as their lives intersect over the course of a school day on a reservation. With no flashy concept, the short succeeds in building out a compelling narrative in a normal school day. With sparse dialogue but powerful performances, the piece manages to paint a detailed portrayal of a modern indigenous culture. Tremblay does an incredible job building out a seemingly small but meaningful relationship between a Native teacher and her students. It’s no surprise that she’s a 2021 Sundance Screenwriters Lab Fellow and the recipient of the Walter Bernstein Fellowship—she’s definitely a filmmaker to watch!
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
