"HIStory"

A captivating spoken word piece poetically displaying the historical traumas of Indigenous Peoples through the lens of a Native American.

  • Tony Louie
    Writer
  • Tony Louie
    Key Cast
    "Tony Louie (Himself)"
    N/A
  • James G. Pakootas
    Director
    Sister Wolves
  • Ben-Alex Dupris
    Producer
    Sister Wolves, Sweetheart Dancers
  • Devonte Pearson
    Producer
    Sister Wolves
  • Kaylum Batis
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Music, Spoken Word, Suspense
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 12, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • LA Skins Fest
    Los Angeles
    United States
    November 19, 2021
    Film Debut
    Official Selection
Director Biography - James G. Pakootas

James "Just Jamez" Pakootas is a modern-day story weaver who cultivates change in the world through the power of words. James was raised on The Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State and is an enrolled member of The Colville Confederated Tribes.

He leans on his experience as an influential, multi-award winning artist & producer as he makes his directorial debut at this year's LA SKINS FEST with "HIStory," a piece created by long time friends and co-founders of DCM Collective, Tony Louie and T.S The Solution.

Tony and James won a Native American Music Award in 2019 for "Best Rap/Hip Hop Video," entitled "Break These Chains" (Feat. Big D) while working with T.S, and continue to expand their artistic practice and adapt to an ever-changing life as they navigate a global pandemic together through the art of storytelling and film.

At the beginning of the pandemic James formed Filmdigenous; a new start-up film company with award-winning film director Ben-Alex Dupris. The two quickly formed a partnership after James and DCM Collective collaborated as producers on "Sister Wolves," an animated short film that won the "Achievement In Animation" Award at last year's LA SKINS FEST, and was also named an official selection at American Indian Film Festival and Maoriland Film Festival in 2020.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Before the pandemic, I had no interest in becoming a filmmaker and still feel a bit uncomfortable saying "I'm a filmmaker" due to being at the very early stages in my learning and understanding of this craft. What I AM confident in saying is that I'm a storyteller. We just tell stories in a multitude of ways now, and through film we're gaining a whole new skill set with the guidance of Ben-Alex Dupris. We're now able to translate these stories from our hearts and minds to recording studios and movie screens so that our existence becomes more visible, and that's massively important in today's world. Through these various art mediums, we're given an opportunity to stand up and say "I'm Native and this is my story," and for the most part, the world is responding in powerful ways. So, we're extremely grateful for that.