Making Naturally Native

Hollywood Film Distribution for Natives.  It Could Happen

By Roscoe Pond1998. I was called into my talent agent's office to talk about auditioning for an Independent feature film called "Naturally Native." The producers were looking for a native male with long hair to play the husband. My agent had the screenplay and when I got to her office, she threw it into the trash. I never auditioned for that production.

The Pequot Indian Nation put up an estimated $700,000 dollars to produce "Naturally Native." Valerie Red-Horse was the director and she was also a co-star in the film. It was touted as the first "all native female production ever made in Hollywood." Red-Horse brought the film to festivals, Indian reservations and to Europe. She even created a line of hair products named after the film. It screened at Paramount studios in front of the Hollywood community. It never found a U.S. distributor and went straight to home video. The film won several First Americans in the Arts Awards, but received mixed to bad reviews. Native filmmakers were passing around a "Naturally Native" home video tape. Their response was total laughter. Several native actors who were in the film had claimed they weren't and distanced themselves from it.Comment:  I haven't seen this movie but I hear it's...not good.

For more on Naturally Native, visit the official website. For more on movies in general, see The Best Indian Movies.