Indigenous Film and Media
Format: 5-6 pages, double-spaced, 12pt times new roman font, one-inch margins, in-text or parenthetical citations and references or works cited if consulting outside sources.
Prompt: Analyze and respond to a film of your choice from the Supplemental Film List provided on the syllabus and below.
The film list is divided based on the three units/parts of the class.
What is the background of the film you chose?
Who was the film’s writer, director, and production company?
How does the film you view compare to the films screened in class?
What are some of the characteristics of Indigenous film?
Are these characteristics present in the film you watched for your final essay?
How does the film you watched connect to your understanding of Indigenous film and media?
Discuss what elements are or are not present in the film. What themes are explored in your film and how do they relate to your understanding of Indigenous film and media?
Refer to at least one reading and one other film screened in class.
Films for Final Essay
*Prime: Indicates available for streaming for free through Amazon Prime
*Copley: Indicates film is available through USD Copley library
Westerns & the Formation of a Genre
The Paleface (1922)
Northwest Passage (1940)
They Died with their Boots On (1941)
Fort Apache (1948)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Apache (1954) (Prime)
The Indian Fighter (1955)
Run of the Arrow (1957)
Tell Them Willie Bo is Here (1969)
The Mission (1986) (Copley)
Little Big Man (1970) (Prime)
A Man Called Horse (1970) (Prime)
The Last of His Tribe (1992)
Black Robe (1991) (Copley)
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993/4)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) (Prime)
Hostiles (2017)
Woman Walks Ahead (2018) (Prime)
News of the World (2020)
Challenging Westerns & the Rise of Indigenous Films
Thunderheart (1992)
Dance Me Outside (1994)
Dances with Wolves (1990)
Dead Man (1995)
House Made of Dawn (1996)
You Are on Indian Land (1969) (Youtube)
Once Were Warriors (1994) (USD Law Library)
Incident at Oglala (1992) (Copley)
Geronimo and the Apache Resistance (1989) (Copley)
Chief Wilma P. Mankiller (1992) (Copley)
Surviving Columbus (1992) (Copley)
Spirit Rider (1993) (Prime)
The Tree of Life: three films on Indian Mexico (1999) (Copley)
Indigenous Perspectives, Filmmakers, & Creators
Skins (2002)
Skinwalkers: An American Mystery! (2004) (Copley)
Christmas in the Clouds (2001)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) (Copley)
Whale Rider (2002) (Copley)
Frozen River (2009) (Copley)
The Lesser Blessed (2012) (Prime)
Finding Dawn (2006) (Copley)
Drunktown’s Finest (2013) (Copley)
Wind River (2017)
We Shall Remain (2009) (choose any episode 1 – 5) (Copley)
Miss Navajo (2007)
Every Emotion Costs (2010) (Prime)
This May be the Last Time (2014)
Empire of Dirt (2015) (Prime)
Mekko (2015)
Te Ata (2017) (Copley)
Rumble (2017)
Roma (2018) (Netflix)
Warrior Women (2018) (Copley)
Basketball or Nothing (2019) (Netflix) (choose any two episodes)
Awake: Dream from Standing Rock (2017) (Copley)
Rutherford Falls (2021) (choose any two episodes)
