Naturally Native on Turner Classic Movies

Mashantucket-financed movie to air on TCM

By Brian HallenbeckA feature film financed more than a decade ago by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe will air early Wednesday morning on the Turner Classic Movies cable network as part of a series devoted to Native American themes.

"Naturally Native," shot in the Los Angeles area in 1997, depicts the lives and relationships of three sisters of Native American ancestry as they attempt to start a business. As young children, the sisters were adopted by white foster parents.

Considered groundbreaking, "Naturally Native," is the first film about Native American women written, directed, produced and starring Native American women, according to the film's website. It premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.

Cherokee filmmaker Valerie Red-Horse, who served as the film's producer, writer, co-director and lead actress, sought the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council's support of the project, promising a film that would convey the struggles many Native Americans face. The script parallels much of what the Connecticut tribe has experienced, which is why the tribal council agreed to provide funding, according to a tribal spokeswoman.

The entire cost of production was under $1 million, the spokeswoman said.Comment:  I haven't seen Naturally Native yet. I've heard it's not very good. That may explain why people don't mention it in the same breath as Powwow Highway or Smoke Signals.

For more on the subject, see Native Films on Turner Classic Movies and The Best Indian Movies.

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.