Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way

This film project was a particularly difficult one both for myself and many of the participants to film and complete, as it was both a personal and professional endeavor. Every day we live with the effects of racism, cultural appropriation, white supremacist ideology and stereotyping based on our ethnic heritage, then as filmmakers face critique and rejection of work deemed irrelevant to society as a whole, but which is deeply affective to billions of people of all ethnicities, past and present.

At all levels throughout the world, we see the minimization and dismissal of Native/Indigenous issues, trauma and the seriousness of stereotyping and other racist and discriminatory practices. The systems and structures in place, and the mindset behind their creation, supports this minimization and even the gaslighting of minority groups. This is contributing to and reinforcing the new rise of normalized xenophobia, misogyny, ableism, trans- and homophobia. In this age of climate change, such attitudes are also behind the downplaying of deadly events and issues primarily people of color and redeveloping regions or countries are facing at a rapid rate. It is the prioritization of modern white Europe and its former colonies’ gratification, history and knowledge over all others. It is intersecting oppression.

I didn't know several of the Native participants prior to starting this project yet many became close friends. Most are also a part of demographic groups such as the disabled or GLBTIQ communities, so we’re tackling intersecting oppressions, too. Whether our film ever receives any recognition or acceptance, as I’m fully aware of the apathy many feel about such topics, I consider its completion a triumph. I am proud of those who came forward to share their stories in the hope of restorative justice and the healing of our societies and our world, so that all children can have a better future. I am thankful to have been able to meet them, and despite great personal hardship during its filming, it was imperative for me to make this film.