American Indian/Indigenous Film (Adah et al)

Since its inception, cinematic representation of Indigenous America has been the object of several debates. In “classical” narratives such as Western movies, the portrayal of Indigenous peoples has helped perpetuate the imperial gaze about the colonized “other” and to solidify ideas of progress and national unity. Recently, however, some mainstream productions have displayed the capacity to question (more or less successfully) the structures of power that have kept Indigenous peoples in an endless cycle of sociopolitical invisibility for over five hundred years.

Since Smoke Signals (1998), several feature-length films have been produced that focus on the cultural meanings associated with individual Natives’ exodus from and return to their reservations. Whether by choice, calling, or intervention, the protagonists in three recent independent movies, “Imprint” (2007), “Barking Water” (2009), and “The Only Good Indian” (2009), return to discover hidden histories and new revelations about their home communities and relations.