Sundance 2023: ‘Fancy Dance’ Directed by Erica Tremblay
U.S. Dramatic Competition
This is a perfect Sundance film. Regional, authentically true to its roots, it also sounds great, from the Cherokee conversation spoken with total ease and subtitled for English speaking non-Cherokees to the beat of the drum and the music accompanying our two protagonists as they seek their sister and mother.
Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has cared for her niece Roki (the luminous Isabel Deroy-Olson) by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of losing custody to Jax’s father, 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 and at the mercy of a failed justice system.
Jax (Lily Gladstone) and Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson)
This debut fiction feature demonstrates the talent of Erica Tremblay, an American writer and director from the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. We cast a new eye upon the land and the characters who make up the Cherokee nation. (It was filmed and supported by the Cherokee nation. Erica Tremblay recently worked as an executive story editor on Reservation Dogs at FX, where she directed her 1st TV episode. Together with Sterlin Harjo, she developed a series adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Yellowbird (2014) for Paramount+. She was an executive story editor on Dark Winds (2022), produced by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford. Her feature project Fancy Dance (2023) was accepted into the 2021 Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs. In 2021, she was awarded the Walter Bernstein Screenwriting Fellowship, the Maja Kristin Directing Fellowship, the Sffilm Rainin Grant and the Lynn Shelton of a Certain Age Grant. Her short film Little Chief (2020) premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was included on IndieWire’s top-10 list of must-see short films at the festival. In addition to writing and directing, she’s also studying her indigenous language.
Director Erica Tremblay
As the sister and her niece make their way through their journey, the harshness of Jax and the kleptomania of Roki transform into understandable traits, especially for Roki who sees shoplifting as a normal adaptation to being constantly short of money. As for Jax, her dykish behavior which elicits disrespect from some men is a shield for her which hides her totally unconditional dedication to family, except when calling her brother, the sheriff, negligent and uncaring about tracking down their sister who has gone missing.
Tremblay’s unflinching exploration of marginalization uses a mystery narrative as a springboard for an oblique coming-of-age story, lovingly and luminously enacted by Gladstone and Deroy-Olson. Tremblay’s juxtaposition of settler violence against the strength of Indigenous communities offers a nuanced account of the human costs of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic and the possibilities of healing for those left behind.
Fancy Dance was produced by four deeply engaged producers: Tommy Oliverwhose film 1982 premiered at Sundance in 2013 and who is here this year with three films, Fancy Dance, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project andYoung. Wild. Free.; longtime programmer for indigenous programming since Sundance first championed the genre N. Bird Runningwater; Forest Whitaker producer of 34 films including this year’s Sundance film To Live and Die and Live and 2013 Sundance great Fruitvale Station; and Heather Rae, born on October 1, 1966 in Venice, California, USA and already producer of 42 films including Mosquito y Mari (Sundance 2012) and Tommy Oliver’s 1982(Sundance 2013). Others are Deidre Backs recipient of the 2021 Sundance Institute Mark Silverman honor as a Sundance Creative Producing Lab fellow and a 2022 Women at Sundance fellow; Nina Yang Bongiovi (30 producer credits), Dylan Brodie (18 credits), two relative newcomers Charlotte Koh, Robert Grigsby Wilson and the writer director herself Erica Tremblay.
While Sundance has morphed over its nearly 40 years from a showcase of small indie regional Americana into a Hollywood hunting ground and showcase of those whose arcs began there but have now made it to the heights, from budgets of $1 million and less to the $30–50 million dollar range, this film is a tribute to all that Robert Redford strove to achieve. It is a classic.
MoviesIndigenousFilm FestivalsWomenInternational Film...
U.S. Dramatic Competition
This is a perfect Sundance film. Regional, authentically true to its roots, it also sounds great, from the Cherokee conversation spoken with total ease and subtitled for English speaking non-Cherokees to the beat of the drum and the music accompanying our two protagonists as they seek their sister and mother.
Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has cared for her niece Roki (the luminous Isabel Deroy-Olson) by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of losing custody to Jax’s father, 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 and at the mercy of a failed justice system.
Jax (Lily Gladstone) and Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson)
This debut fiction feature demonstrates the talent of Erica Tremblay, an American writer and director from the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. We cast a new eye upon the land and the characters who make up the Cherokee nation. (It was filmed and supported by the Cherokee nation. Erica Tremblay recently worked as an executive story editor on Reservation Dogs at FX, where she directed her 1st TV episode. Together with Sterlin Harjo, she developed a series adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Yellowbird (2014) for Paramount+. She was an executive story editor on Dark Winds (2022), produced by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford. Her feature project Fancy Dance (2023) was accepted into the 2021 Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs. In 2021, she was awarded the Walter Bernstein Screenwriting Fellowship, the Maja Kristin Directing Fellowship, the Sffilm Rainin Grant and the Lynn Shelton of a Certain Age Grant. Her short film Little Chief (2020) premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was included on IndieWire’s top-10 list of must-see short films at the festival. In addition to writing and directing, she’s also studying her indigenous language.
Director Erica Tremblay
As the sister and her niece make their way through their journey, the harshness of Jax and the kleptomania of Roki transform into understandable traits, especially for Roki who sees shoplifting as a normal adaptation to being constantly short of money. As for Jax, her dykish behavior which elicits disrespect from some men is a shield for her which hides her totally unconditional dedication to family, except when calling her brother, the sheriff, negligent and uncaring about tracking down their sister who has gone missing.
Tremblay’s unflinching exploration of marginalization uses a mystery narrative as a springboard for an oblique coming-of-age story, lovingly and luminously enacted by Gladstone and Deroy-Olson. Tremblay’s juxtaposition of settler violence against the strength of Indigenous communities offers a nuanced account of the human costs of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic and the possibilities of healing for those left behind.
Fancy Dance was produced by four deeply engaged producers: Tommy Oliverwhose film 1982 premiered at Sundance in 2013 and who is here this year with three films, Fancy Dance, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project andYoung. Wild. Free.; longtime programmer for indigenous programming since Sundance first championed the genre N. Bird Runningwater; Forest Whitaker producer of 34 films including this year’s Sundance film To Live and Die and Live and 2013 Sundance great Fruitvale Station; and Heather Rae, born on October 1, 1966 in Venice, California, USA and already producer of 42 films including Mosquito y Mari (Sundance 2012) and Tommy Oliver’s 1982(Sundance 2013). Others are Deidre Backs recipient of the 2021 Sundance Institute Mark Silverman honor as a Sundance Creative Producing Lab fellow and a 2022 Women at Sundance fellow; Nina Yang Bongiovi (30 producer credits), Dylan Brodie (18 credits), two relative newcomers Charlotte Koh, Robert Grigsby Wilson and the writer director herself Erica Tremblay.
While Sundance has morphed over its nearly 40 years from a showcase of small indie regional Americana into a Hollywood hunting ground and showcase of those whose arcs began there but have now made it to the heights, from budgets of $1 million and less to the $30–50 million dollar range, this film is a tribute to all that Robert Redford strove to achieve. It is a classic.
MoviesIndigenousFilm FestivalsWomenInternational Film...
- 2/11/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Jax (Lily Gladstone) has been taking care of her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) ever since her sister’s recent disappearance in Fancy Dance, the feature debut from Indigenous filmmaker Erica Tremblay. When two weeks pass without word from her, Cps shows up at Jax’s door and insists that she’s not a fit guardian for the young girl. As a last resort, she jets off with Roki to attend a powwow she’s long been anticipating—with the lingering hope that her mother might just show up there, as well. Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson talks about cutting the film, touching upon his previous collaboration […]
The post “A Family Drama and a Whodunnit at the Same Time”: Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson on Fancy Dance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A Family Drama and a Whodunnit at the Same Time”: Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson on Fancy Dance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/1/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Jax (Lily Gladstone) has been taking care of her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) ever since her sister’s recent disappearance in Fancy Dance, the feature debut from Indigenous filmmaker Erica Tremblay. When two weeks pass without word from her, Cps shows up at Jax’s door and insists that she’s not a fit guardian for the young girl. As a last resort, she jets off with Roki to attend a powwow she’s long been anticipating—with the lingering hope that her mother might just show up there, as well. Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson talks about cutting the film, touching upon his previous collaboration […]
The post “A Family Drama and a Whodunnit at the Same Time”: Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson on Fancy Dance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A Family Drama and a Whodunnit at the Same Time”: Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson on Fancy Dance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/1/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Radha Blank writes, directs and stars in The 40-Year-Old Version, about a woman named Radha who struggles with the stigma of being single and struggling with her art at the age of 40. After what seems like a barrage of rejections from theater companies, Radha finally feels reinvigorated when she revisits her long-forgotten love of rapping. She eventually feels torn when interest is finally shown for a play of hers when she is in the midst of working on a rap demo tape. Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson talks about his own love of hip-hop, his own professional trajectory as an […]...
- 2/4/2020
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Radha Blank writes, directs and stars in The 40-Year-Old Version, about a woman named Radha who struggles with the stigma of being single and struggling with her art at the age of 40. After what seems like a barrage of rejections from theater companies, Radha finally feels reinvigorated when she revisits her long-forgotten love of rapping. She eventually feels torn when interest is finally shown for a play of hers when she is in the midst of working on a rap demo tape. Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson talks about his own love of hip-hop, his own professional trajectory as an […]...
- 2/4/2020
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
According to most platitudes, your 20s are for experimenting, you’re more grounded in your 30s, and by the time you hit 40, you’ve pretty much settled into who you are as a person. Maybe so many people scoff at these ubiquitous Instagram bromides because they often induce a sense of anxiety about where you should be in your life and when. That anxiety certainly fuels writer-director-producer-star Radha Blank’s delightfully earnest new film, “The 40-Year-Old Version.”
The filmmaker plays (presumably) a version of herself as she borrows her own name for the character, a playwright barreling toward age 40 and no closer to a successful career or a stable personal life than she was at 20. Known for once producing a play with modest acclaim back in the day, Radha now teaches a theater workshop for similarly adrift black and brown youth in Harlem. And like so many single women of...
The filmmaker plays (presumably) a version of herself as she borrows her own name for the character, a playwright barreling toward age 40 and no closer to a successful career or a stable personal life than she was at 20. Known for once producing a play with modest acclaim back in the day, Radha now teaches a theater workshop for similarly adrift black and brown youth in Harlem. And like so many single women of...
- 1/26/2020
- by Candice Frederick
- The Wrap
You could do something similar to what editor Robert Grigsby Wilson has done here taking a look at Lana and Andy Wachowski's The Matrix and pointing out all the moments in the film influenced by, or paying homage to, other films, but it is nonetheless fascinating to take such a trip through film and in this case several martial arts features, anime and even a speech from Philip K. Dick. I've included the list of films just below the video, give it a look and enjoy. 0:27 - Fist of Legend (1994) 0:38 - Tai-Chi Master (Twin Dragons) (1993) 0:44 - Fist of Legend (1994) 0:48 - Tai-Chi Master (Twin Dragons) (1993) 0:53 - Drunken Master (1978) 1:02 - Fist of Legend (1994) 1:09 - The Killer (1989) 1:19 - Fist of Legend (1994) 1:21 - Iron Monkey (1993) 1:31 - Once Upon A Time In China (1991) 1:36 - Fist of Legend (1994) 1:41 - Tai-Chi Master (Twin Dragons...
- 7/22/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Not sure I totally buy into this. Many of the examples here are very generic (like many of the Asian martial arts clips). Others suggest that overt, deliberate homage isn’t the point, when it is (like the Alice in Wonderland stuff). Some of just familiar tropes that turn up in every other movie, and for which it is perhaps unfair to single out The Matrix. Some of its points are well taken, however. And it’s a nice editing job by Robert Grigsby Wilson. Via Giant Freakin Robot.
- 10/10/2011
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
"Everyone steals from everyone, that's movies." The guys in Swingers knew it and we all know it too. Everyone who has ever made a movie has been influenced by someone before them; even the people who invented the art form had influences from outside film. Of course many people innovate, only to to have their techniques ripped off later, but it's almost impossible to find something that is 100% original in every aspect. That's more or less the thesis of the video series Everything is a Remix, produced by Kirby Ferguson. He produces videos (some of which we've highlighted on the site [1]) that visually show how some of our favorite movies borrow from movies before them. Ferguson is still working on the fourth installment of the series, but in the meantime he has released a video dedicated to the 1999 hit film The Matrix by The Wachowski Brothers. Part of the reason...
- 10/7/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
Via The Observer's Very Short List, here's a really great video called "Everything Is a Remix: 'Kill Bill," that puts imagery from Quentin Tarantino's samurai revenge flick side-by-side with the movies that inspired it. That striking shot of Uma Thurman's The Bride battling the Crazy 88 silhouetted against a blue wall? An homage to a similar shot in 1998's "Samurai Fiction." Daryl Hannah whistling a twisted tune? Try 1968's "Twisted Nerve."
Unless Quentin Tarantino edited something like this himself -- and oh, how I wish he would -- a video like this could never be comprehensive. There's a few quotations that I know the video misses (like the television origin of this striking music). And I'm not sure if every similarity noted is a true homage. Some may just be coincidence; there are, after all, only so many ways to film a woman buried alive inside a coffin (I should know,...
Unless Quentin Tarantino edited something like this himself -- and oh, how I wish he would -- a video like this could never be comprehensive. There's a few quotations that I know the video misses (like the television origin of this striking music). And I'm not sure if every similarity noted is a true homage. Some may just be coincidence; there are, after all, only so many ways to film a woman buried alive inside a coffin (I should know,...
- 5/25/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Today feels like a tremendously lazy day for me, what with the Stanley Kubrick compilation, posting the Captain America poster and now a pair of independently produced gems. First we have a segment of Kirby Ferguson's "Everthing's a Remix" video series taking a look at a variety of films and the films that paved the way before them. The first half of the video mentions films such as Julie and Julia and Avatar before digging into George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
This second video is a co-production between Ferguson and Robert Grigsby Wilson taking a look at Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2, a film I've even discussed in the same manner before comparing it to Lady Snowblood (read that here), a film Tarantino himself admitted was a huge inspiration for Kill Bill and is also mentioned in the video below.
This second video is a co-production between Ferguson and Robert Grigsby Wilson taking a look at Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2, a film I've even discussed in the same manner before comparing it to Lady Snowblood (read that here), a film Tarantino himself admitted was a huge inspiration for Kill Bill and is also mentioned in the video below.
- 2/5/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
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