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River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh)

Logline: When a Tewa woman is mesmerized by a world of money, she must listen to the spirit of the River in order to free herself.
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Synopsis: A Tewa woman struggles with guilt after stealing money from a local business. Her grandmother takes her to the River to remind her of Tewa values. The Tewa woman blesses herself with River water, and the River becomes her guide. Together, they give to the people.

  • Charine Pilar Gonzales
    Director
    Our Quiyo: Maria Martinez
  • Charine Pilar Gonzales
    Writer
  • Charine Pilar Gonzales
    Producer
  • Razelle Benally
    Producer
    Murder in Bighorn
  • Jess X. Snow
    Producer
    Little Sky
  • Shaandiin Tome
    Producer
    Mud, Long Line of Ladies
  • Ashley Browning
    Producer
    Outer Range, The Curse
  • Jhane Myers
    Producer
    Prey
  • Holly Baker
    Producer
  • Helena Pena
    Key Cast
    "Tisha"
  • Barbara Gonzales
    Key Cast
    "Saya"
  • El Chuco
    Key Cast
    "Juanito"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Drama, Native, Magical, Realism, Pueblo, New Mexico, Tewa
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 8, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony FX3
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Los Angeles Skins Film Festival
    Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
    United States
    November 16, 2023
    California Premiere
    Achievement in Short Filmmaking - Award
Director Biography - Charine Pilar Gonzales

Charine Pilar Gonzales is a Tewa filmmaker from San Ildefonso Pueblo and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her esteemed short doc Our Quiyo: Maria Martinez (2022) premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was acquired by AT&T, and will be exhibited at the Heard Museum and Millicent Rogers Museum in 2024. Charine’s debut narrative fiction short film, River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh), is currently in the film festival circuit. Charine aims to intertwine memories, dreams and truths through story.

Charine is a Producer for the Native Lens project, a crowdsourced collaboration by KSUT Tribal Radio and Rocky Mountain PBS. She owns the multimedia production company Povi Studios. Charine attends the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) MFA Creative Writing program with a focus in Screenwriting.

Charine is an alumni of the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program Full Circle Fellowship, Native Lab AiR, and a current Indigenous Film Opportunity Fellow. She’s also an alumni of First Peoples Fund ABL Fellowship, LA Skins Fest TV Writers Lab, and Jackson Wild Summit Media Lab and MCA Fellowship. She is represented by Rain Management Group, based in LA. Her favorite foods are Pueblo oven bread, red chile stew, and chicos. She resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her family and chunky orange tabby cat, Cheddar.

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Director Statement

I come from six generations of San Ildefonso Pueblo pottery artists. My Pueblo’s traditional Tewa name is Po-woh-geh Owingeh, which means “Where the water cuts through.” Our reservation is located in northern New Mexico.

When my family works with clay, we think good thoughts so that our pottery reflects goodness, too. I practice this intention from a storytelling perspective. A quote we often say in my family,
“We come from the clay and the earth, and we will return to the clay and the earth,” reflects the respect we have for clay, our ancestors, and the circle of life. Pottery often appears in my films, including River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh).

I wrote and directed River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh) after the sudden passing of my younger brother, Tyler. He was 19 years old and serving in the military. His death was one of the most devastating things I’ve ever experienced. During those early moments of grief, I leaned into the traditions of my Tewa people.

One place where I can express my grief openly is the Rio Grande, whose waters cut through San Ildefonso Pueblo. When we greet the river, we bless ourselves with the river water.

The protagonist of my film, Tisha, also struggles with grief and guilt, but she finds a way to give back to her community by embracing her Tewa values. River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh) is about my love for my Tewa people and my wish for us to heal as a community from intergenerational grief. In the film, Tisha blesses herself with the River water, and the River becomes her guide. Together, they give to the Tewa people.

River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh) is the first narrative fiction film approved by San Ildefonso Pueblo to be filmed on Tribal lands since the 1980’s. I made this film in hopes of inspiring more storytellers from my Pueblo. River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh) is told using an Indigenous story structure, inspired by traditional Tewa stories. I’m so grateful to have support from my family and community. This film would not exist without them.

I dedicate this film to my younger brother, Tyler, because his memory lives in my heart forever. He is now home with the clay and the earth, and I miss him tremendously, but I know he is proud of me. One day, I will return to the clay and the earth, too.

River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh) is my debut narrative fiction short film, and I’m so proud of how much this film and I have grown together.