Harjo wins Oklahoma critics award

Sterlin Harjo honored by Oklahoma Film CriticsThe Oklahoma Film Critics Circle has honored filmmaker Sterlin Harjo with the 2011 Tilghman Award celebrating achievement in cinema in the state.

The OFCC will present Harjo with the Tilghman Award in a short ceremony Saturday after a screening of his most recent works, a series of documentary shorts for Tulsa's This Land Press. The screening, which begins at 5:30 p.m., will be at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art as part of the museum's American Indian Cinema Showcase.

Harjo, 31, a member of the Seminole and Creek nations, has earned international acclaim for films examining contemporary life of American Indians. But his feature-length narratives—“Four Sheets to the Wind” in 2007 and “Barking Water” in 2009—are emotionally rich motion pictures populated by complex characters.

“Sterlin's films are invested with a humanity and depth of emotion that eludes many of his older, more experienced peers,” OFCC President Rod Lott said. “In a short period of time, Sterlin has really raised the bar for Oklahoma filmmakers. He more than deserves the Tilghman for his commitment to his art.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Below:  Four Sheets to the Wind.