Sundance 2023 films Fancy Dance and King Coal

The dramatic film Fancy Dance follows an indigenous woman named
Jax, who hustles to get by on her reservation in Oklahoma. When her
sister Tawi disappears, Jax is responsible for taking care of her
niece Roki. The two search for Tawi and ask for help from law
enforcement who does little to help. Meanwhile, they steal cars and
scam people in card games, which leads to Roki being taken out of
Jax's care and placed with her white grandfather. Jax kidnaps Roki,
and the two road trip to get to the state powwow to find out more
about Tawi's disappearance and where Roki plans to perform a dance.
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 felt 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 a lot of 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 very washed out
blue. Erica and Carolina had a lot of conversations about what the
film would look and feel like, including using natural moonlight as
a symbol of 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 indigenous women who are never
found. But she also includes humor, loving family connections and
the celebration of joyous culture at the powwow. Fancy Dance is
seeking distribution. Instagram #fancydancemovie Director Elaine
Sheldon describes her movie King Coal as part documentary and part
fable, as she takes a poetic and personal look at the influence of
coal in Appalachia. It was once King in the region, but as the
economic power of coal wanes, Elaine explores the question of what
a future without coal might look like. There is no scripting in the
film, and she uses two girls who act as characters to bringing the
audience for the movie. People continue to celebrate coal culture
in these communities, and the film documents some of the
interesting rituals around coal festivals, fun runs, beauty
pageants and even a coal themed amusement park. Elaine and her
husband, cinematographer Curren Sheldon, wanted to tell a new story
about the region- for so long, West Virginia and the surrounding
areas have been seen as just a place to exploit for coal. Both
Elaine and Sheldon grew up in the area, and Elaine wanted her
personal storytelling and narration to heighten the feeling of what
it's like to be in this place, and imagine what it would be like to
exist there without coal. They wanted to show Appalachia as a
beautiful, green and forested community, not as a poor, destroyed
place. The land itself has meaning, so they shot images of the fog
rising, textures of bison, the moss, and sunlight through the
trees. Coal came from the earth, and at one time it was just
sitting alongside all the other natural elements. Elaine decided to
end the film looking ahead to an uncertain future. They held a
“funeral” for King Coal and the community turned out, with a
casket, music and impromptu eulogies. King Coal is seeking
distribution. Find Elaine Sheldon:
https://www.elainemcmillionsheldon.com/ Find Curren Sheldon:
http://currensheldon.com/ Instagram @kingcoalfilm Sponsored by Hot
Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com Sponsored by Greentree Creative:
https://www.growwithgreentree.