Cherokee Nation helps to bring Native stories to the big screen

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The Cherokee Nation and its film office are proudly celebrating the world premiere of "Fancy Dance," the first recipient of the tribe's film incentive.

This film recently debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, as a finalist in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.

Filmed entirely in the Cherokee Nation Reservation, the film features Native American talent and crew while illustrating important and current issues faced by Indigenous women, children, and their families.

The future is bright for filmmaking in the Cherokee Nation as we are quickly becoming a leading hub for Indigenous storytellers in film and television,” said Jennifer Loren, senior director of Cherokee Film.

“We are extremely proud to offer our film incentive and services to such incredible projects as ‘Fancy Dance’ that deliver accurate, current, and unique Native storylines while featuring Native Americans both above and below the line.”

Utilization of the Cherokee Nation Film Incentive translated to significant expenditures paid to Native-owned businesses as well as wages paid to Native American citizens.

In addition to its directors and co-writers, more than 40% of the film's roles, both in front of and behind the camera, were fulfilled by Natives.

We are so grateful to the Cherokee Nation Film Office,” said “Fancy Dance” Director, Co-Writer, and Producer Erica Tremblay. “They have supported ‘Fancy Dance’ at every step along the way, and they remain committed to helping our film succeed.

In early 2022, Cherokee Nation and its businesses launched a powerful economic tool within the tribe's reservation and expanded its effort to help grow the film and television industries in Oklahoma when Cherokee Nation Film Office became the first tribal film commission to offer an annual $1 million film incentive for productions filmed within the tribe' boundaries.