SULPHUR, Okla. — First American filmmakers, actors and creatives gathered to share their work and to lift First American voices in cinema during the 11th annual Holba' Pisachi' Native Film Festival, Aug. 7-8 at the Chickasaw Cultural Center.
Twelve films, filmmaker interviews, presentations and audience discussions filled the two-day festival at the Anoli' Theater.
This year’s theme, “Indigenous Forces in Cinema: Empowering and Lifting Voices in Film,” reflected a message shared throughout the festival — First American people telling their own stories from their own perspectives.
Holba' Pisachi' means “showing pictures” in Chikashshanompa' (the Chickasaw language).
Headliners included acclaimed Comanche/Blackfeet producer Jhane Myers and Fort Peck Assiniboine/Sioux actor Amber Midthunder. The festival culminated Saturday evening with a screening of the critically acclaimed action-thriller “Prey,” produced by Myers and starring Midthunder, followed by film discussion and an audience Q&A.
During the “Prey” Q&A, Myers discussed bringing her Comanche culture into the film. Although “Prey” is fictional, its 1700s Comanche Nation setting allowed Myers to incorporate authentic elements of her culture into the production.
“This was really a unique film — to get the opportunity for me to work on this, to be able to fuse it with all of my culture and things from my childhood, and just to see Amber bring it all to life was really, really an amazing thing.”
Midthunder said being a part of “Prey” gave her an opportunity to work on a creatively fulfilling project while representing First American people in a way she felt reflected their strength.
“I remember just being like, ‘Man, how special is this to be able to achieve art on this level and feel completely fulfilled in an art capacity, and also be a part of something that represents our people the way that we deserve to be seen, in the way that is true to us?’” Midthunder said. “We’re warrior people, we’re strong, we’re innovative.”
She said seeing First American people represented throughout the production also made the experience meaningful.
“I got to see so many Indigenous faces when I went to work,” Midthunder said. “There’s just nothing like that, you know.”
Myers had two other projects showcased during the festival: the documentary “Free Leonard Peltier” and the short film “Becoming Buffalo.” Myers said she valued seeing First American filmmakers create and showcase their own stories at the film festival.
“I’m just proud that native films can be made by native filmmakers,” Myers said.
For Chickasaw filmmaker and Oklahoma City native Blake Pickens, Holba' Pisachi' provided an opportunity to bring his work home.
He attended the film festival for the first time to present “Reservation Redemption,” a documentary following Marchand “Chief” Rice and his journey of reconnecting with culture while incarcerated. The film explores how Rice used that reconnection to help other First American men rehabilitate through culture.
Pickens said the subject was personal to him because of his own family history.
“Growing up, a lot of the men in my family had done time in prison, and I thought that growing up, that I would do the same,” Pickens said.
Pickens has been making films for about 13 years. He said having his work recognized within the Chickasaw Nation carries a significance of its own.
“It’s special to get recognized outside of this, but when it’s my own community saying like, ‘Hey, we love what you’re doing, we support you,’ I don’t know — it just feels like the best homecoming I could have,” Pickens said.
With more First Americans joining the film industry, Pickens said First American cultures and communities are represented in a more authentic and empowering way.
“So now that we actually have this influence and this power to tell our own stories and this platform, we’re changing the narrative of everything — of who we are, of what we are, and I think it’s important,” Pickens said.
Mike J. Marin, a filmmaker of Navajo, Laguna Pueblo and Washo heritage, returned to Holba' Pisachi' after attending in 2025.
“This is without a doubt the best film festival I’ve ever been to, and I’m always looking forward to coming here,” Marin said.
Marin, along with his producer Isaac Trimble of Apache and Yaqui heritage, presented “The Smudging Revisited: 10 Years of Urban Native Horror,” a retrospective on “The Smudging,” the first horror film Marin made in 2016.
Marin said the growth of First American filmmaking means First American people are increasingly able to move beyond being subjects of stories and instead guide how those stories are told.
“We are becoming less of the backdrop and more of the front-runners to have a say in what we do and to be in charge of the narrative, and I think that’s a huge plus for us,” Marin said.
He said film also provides a way to preserve stories and share them beyond the communities where they originated.
“Tell your stories before you forget them, before your family forgets them,” Marin said. “And I think putting them on film, it makes it universal now. Everybody can see it worldwide, not just in our own communities.”
The festival provided filmmakers opportunities to connect offscreen as well.
Myers reunited with Pickens, who she said mentored her through the Sundance Institute.
“We’re able to talk about, you know, what kind of stories we’re working on, what he’s working on, how we can help each other,” Myers said. “So, it’s really great.”
Marin said that sense of community will continue to strengthen First American filmmaking.
“You know the metaphor about the bundle of sticks — it’s harder to break if everyone sticks together,” Marin said. “And I think we’re headed that direction.”
For more information about the Chickasaw Cultural Center and upcoming events, visit ChickasawCulturalCenter.com or call (580) 622-7130.