OHSWEKEN, June 27, 2024 – On June 26, 2024, Six Nations Polytechnic (SNP) hosted a private film screening of Apple Original Films’ Fancy Dance written and directed by SNP’s very own Bachelor of Arts in Ogwehoweh Languages alumni - Odewayę́:sta’, Erica Tremblay. The event featured an inclusive film showing followed by a panel discussion with Odewayę́:sta’, Sara General and Zoe Hopkins, moderated by SNP language instructor, Tania Henry.
The premiere had SNP language students, instructors, and members of the language community all in attendance. Fancy Dance was acquired by Apple Original Films where it will be released on their platform on June 28, 2024. Fancy Dance is based on Odewayę́:sta’s original screenplay co-written with Miciana Alise and stars Academy Award Nominee, Lily Gladstone. The film follows the bond between an Indigenous girl and her aunt, where it proves stronger than ever when their loved one goes missing.
“I am so excited to bring Fancy Dance back to Ohsweken. I wrote much of the film in the student lounge at Six Nations Polytechnic during my Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ immersion program. Getting to share this work with community means everything.”
- Odewayę́:sta’, Erica Tremblay, Writer/Director of Fancy Dance
The Bachelor of Arts in Ogwehoweh Languages (BAOL) program is designed for graduates to contribute to language revitalization efforts in all its forms. It offers a unique opportunity for students to reach an intermediate speaking proficiency in the selected program language. Odewayę́:sta’ earned her degree from SNP in 2021 and is actively preserving the Cayuga language through her work in Fancy Dance, where she incorporates the language into the script.
“Six Nations Polytechnic is very excited to host the private screening of Fancy Dance and to support Erica’s impactful film. We are honoured that Erica chose to acknowledge Six Nations in this way.”
- Rebecca Jamieson, President & CEO, Six Nations Polytechnic
Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has cared for her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) by scraping by within their Tribal Land. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of Jax losing custody to Roki’s grandfather, Frank (Shea Whigham), the pair hit the road and scour the backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for the powwow. What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system. Gladstone stars alongside Isabel Deroy-Olson, Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, with Audrey Wasilewski and Shea Whigham.
Fancy Dance, a Confluential Films and Significant Productions/AUM Group production, is produced by Deidre Backs, Erica Tremblay, Heather Rae, Nina Yang Bongiovi and Tommy Oliver with Bird Runningwater, Lily Gladstone, Forest Whitaker and Charlotte Koh serving as executive producers. The film will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on June 28, 2024.
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