BONUS EPISODE: Fancy Dance director Erica Tremblay and DP Carolina Costa

In case you missed it, we're reposting our 2023 Sundance interview
with Fancy Dance director/writer Erica Tremblay and cinematographer
Carolina Costa, AMC. Fancy Dance is now available in select
theaters and streaming on AppleTV+. Fancy Dance follows Jax (Lily
Gladstone), a Native American woman on Oklahoma's Seneca-Cayuga
reservation. When her sister Tawi vanishes mysteriously, Jax
becomes guardian to her niece Roki. Their search for Tawi is met
with indifference from law enforcement. Facing financial hardship,
Jax resorts to petty crimes that threaten custody of Roki, who's
placed with her non-Indigenous grandparents. Determined to keep a
promise and celebrate their heritage, Jax takes Roki on a daring
journey to the state powwow, hoping to find answers about Tawi's
fate and to give Roki the opportunity to perform the traditional
dance she and her mother practiced together. Fancy Dance director
and writer Erica Tremblay and cinematographer Carolina Costa met
when Erica was searching for a DP and Carolina was on a short list.
Carolina loved the script, and saw the film was special just from
reading the page- she could see all the visuals in her mind, and
felt it was important to see these characters come alive on the big
screen. She decided to keep the lighting natural and didn’t use
many additional lights. They wanted the film to feel specific to
the topography of Oklahoma in the summer- a hot, humid time, when
the sky is a washed-out blue. Erica and Carolina had several
conversations about what the film would look and feel like,
including using natural moonlight to represent Tawi, the missing
sister and mother. The moon is a symbol of matrilineal kinship
which is vital to the Native American community. One of the biggest
challenges facing director Erica Tremblay was finding financing for
Fancy Dance. It was hard to convince the right people to fund a
film whose main character is an abrasive, lawless, queer indigenous
woman. Erica grew up in the Seneca Cayuga nation, and drew upon
characters she knew. She wanted her script to reflect the issues
faced by Native Americans today, especially the crisis of missing
and murdered indigenous women who are never found. But she also
includes humor, loving family connections and the celebration of
joyous culture at the powwow. Erica was also a writer on the
acclaimed FX series, Reservation Dogs. Fancy Dance is available now
in theaters and on AppleTV+ Find Erica Tremblay: Instagram
@ericajtremblay Find Carolina Costa: Instagram @ccostacine Find
Fancy Dance: Instagram #fancydancemovie Sponsored by Hot Rod
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