Experiencing Interruptions?

Ma’s House

Ma’s House was once the heart of a community. As Ma’s grandson, artist and photographer Jeremy Dennis is on a quest to restore the family home to its central role as a community gathering place for a new generation of diverse artists. Through personal mementos, intimate narratives, and a touch of celebrity gossip, Dennis and his family reveal generations of history and hope contained within the walls of their home.

This film is part of a series and multimedia platform, made in partnership with Indigenous storytellers and their communities worldwide, invites learning from time-honored and current Indigenous ways of being. Facing a climate crisis, the Reciprocity Project embraces Indigenous value systems that have bolstered communities since the beginning of time. To heal, we must recognize that we are in relationship with Earth, a place that was in balance for millenia. More information at www.reciprocity.org.

  • Jeremy Dennis
    Director
  • Jeremy Dennis
    Key Cast
  • Denise Silva Dennis
    Key Cast
  • Avery Dennis Jr.
    Key Cast
  • Kelly Dennis
    Key Cast
  • Jeremy Dennis
    Directors of Photography
  • Sauli Pillay
    Directors of Photography
  • Jeremy Dennis
    Writer
  • Sauli Pillay
    Writer
  • Adam Mazo
    Field Producer
  • Sauli Pillay
    Sound Recordist
  • Sauli Pillay
    Editor
  • Sauli Pillay
    Editor
  • Jacob Bearchum
    Assistant Editor
  • Eleni Ledesma
    COVID-19 Supervisor
  • Adam Mazo
    On Set COVID-19 Coordinator
  • Jennifer Kreisberg
    Composer
  • Jared Lank
    Photographer
  • Jeremy Dennis
    Archival Images
  • Tracy Rector
    Executive Producer
  • Taylor Hensel
    Series Co-Director
  • Adam Mazo
    Series Co-Director
  • Taylor Hensel
    Series Producer
  • Adam Mazo
    Series Producer
  • Kavita Pillay
    Series Producer
  • Tracy Rector
    Series Producer
  • Dina Gilio-Whitaker
    Learning Co-Director
  • Mishy Lesser
    Learning Co-Director
  • Kavita Pillay
    Field Production Coordinator
  • Sauli Pillay
    Production Manager
  • Jacob Bearchum
    Lead Assistant Editor
  • Eleni Ledesma
    COVID Safety Supervisor
  • Ben Pender-Cudlip
    Technologist / Systems Management Consultant
  • Chelsea Strelser
    Administration / Program Support Specialist
  • Blake Brown
    Opening Animation
  • Paige Pettibon
    Opening Illustration
  • Jennifer Kreisberg
    Opening Animation Music
  • Heather Cassano
    Color Correction
  • Sauli Pillay
    Color Correction
  • Dave Howe
    Sound Engineer
  • David Gallander
    Sound Engineer
  • Bear Allison
    Promotional Photos
  • Ernesto Rafael Acosta Cepeda
    Promotional Photos
  • Taylor Hensel
    Promotional Photos
  • Ivy Lagod
    Promotional Photos
  • Jared Lank
    Promotional Photos
  • Keri Oberly
    Promotional Photos
  • Brianna Smith
    Promotional Photos
  • Loren Waters
    Promotional Photos
  • Yen Tan
    Poster Design
  • Cindy Chischilly
    Poster Design
  • Melissa Billows
    Accounting
  • Jonathan Saceda
    Accounting
  • Susi Walsh
    Accounting
  • Jeffrey Cadwell
    Legal
  • Justine Jacob
    Legal
  • Sarah Robertson
    Legal
  • Haley Gustafson
    Trademark Support
  • Haley Gustafson
    Administrative Support
  • Neyda Quiñones-Ortiz
    Administrative Support
  • Scott Kyllo
    IT Support
  • Sauli Pillay
    DIT
  • Stella Covre
    Series Translators/Interpreters
  • Flavia Franco
    Series Translators/Interpreters
  • Jonathan Luna
    Series Translators/Interpreters
  • Neyda Quiñones-Ortiz
    Series Translators/Interpreters
  • Maria Angelica Ramirez
    Series Translators/Interpreters
  • Joel Schomberg
    Promotional Design & Graphics
  • Cindy Chischilly
    Promotional Design & Graphics
  • Trisha Sacramone
    Intern
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Indigenous, African-American, Family
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 43 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 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
  • Skábmagovat Indigenous Peoples’ Film Festival
    Inari
    Finland
    January 27, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
    Big Sky
    United States
    February 25, 2022
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Halifax Black Film Festival
    Halifax
    Canada
    February 24, 2022
    Canadian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Durango Independent Film Festival
    Durango
    United States
    March 2, 2022
    Colorado Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Cartagena International Film Festival
    Cartagena
    Colombia
    March 16, 2022
  • Seattle International Film Festival
    Seattle, Washington
    United States
    April 14, 2022
    Seattle
  • Independent Film Festival Boston
    Boston, Massachusetts
    United States
    April 27, 2022
  • Rochester International Film Festival
    Rochester, New York
    United States
    May 5, 2022
  • Martha's Vineyard Film Festival
    Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
    United States
    May 17, 2022
  • Mountainfilm
    Telluride, Colorado
    United States
    May 26, 2022
  • Dreamspeakers International Indigenous Film Festival
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Canada
    May 27, 2022
  • The Roxbury International Film Festival, ROXFILM
    Boston, Massachusetts
    United States
    June 22, 2022
  • Māoriland Film Festival
    Ōtaki, Aotearoa
    New Zealand
    June 29, 2022
    Southern Hemisphere
  • Indy Shorts International Film Festival
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    United States
    July 22, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival
    Oak Bluffs, MA
    United States
    August 6, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Regina International Film Festival and Awards
    Regina, Saskatchewan
    Canada
    August 9, 2022
    Official Selection
  • The International First Peoples Festival Présence Autochtone
    Montréal, Québec
    Canada
    August 16, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Local Sightings Film Festival
    Seattle, WA
    United States
    September 16, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Deep Focus Film Festival
    Brooklyn, NY
    United States
    Honorable Mention
  • San Diego International Film Festival
    San Diego, California
    United States
    October 19, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
    Hot Springs, Arkansas
    United States
    October 10, 2022
    Official Selection
  • imagineNATIVE
    Toronto
    United States
    October 18, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Cucalorus Film Festival
    Wilmington, NC
    United States
    November 17, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Frozen River Film Festival
    Winona, MN
    United States
    February 11, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Capital City Film Festival
    Lansing, MI
    United States
    April 5, 2023
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Nia Tero
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Jeremy Dennis

Jeremy Dennis is a contemporary fine art photographer and a tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, NY. In his work, he explores Indigenous identity, culture, and assimilation. Dennis was one of 10 recipients of a 2016 Dreamstarter Grant from the national non-profit Running Strong for American Indian Youth. His project, On This Site, uses photography and an interactive online map to showcase culturally significant Native American sites on Long Island. Most recently, Dennis received the Creative Bursar Award from Getty Images in 2018 to continue his series, Stories—Indigenous Oral Stories, Dreams and Myths. Inspired by North American Indigenous stories, he staged supernatural images that transform these myths and legends to depictions of an actual experience in a photograph. Dennis holds an MFA from Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, and a BA in Studio Art from Stony Brook University, NY.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Making this film about Ma's House was a wonderful experience. After working to rehabilitate our family home over the past year, it was important to reflect on the progress and how far the house has come. The work was tiresome and financially draining but it was really thanks to the individual contributions of many friends and family members. When we began, there was so much love and passion behind the mission of turning the home into a future communal art space for artists of color on the Shinnecock Reservation. I hope the film shows our gratitude towards those individuals and creates a better image of what Ma's House is all about and where the space is going.