Native Actors and Filmmakers: Visual Storytellers

Gr 6-10–Writer and filmmaker Robinson, who is of Choctaw and Cherokee descent, introduces 12 Native individuals from different Indigenous nations and regions and explores how they started work in front of or behind the camera as actors or filmmakers. The individuals featured include Cherokee writer, director, and editor Randy Redroad; Colville actor, writer, and producer Kimberly Norris Guerrero; Yaqui actor Michael Horse; and Abenaki producer and director Alanis Obomsawin. Through their stories the book captures how the U.S. film industry is finally becoming more diverse; it shows the progress being made that now allows broader access to the industry by these visual storytellers. While the writing is a bit dry at times, the personal stories from the actors and filmmakers are fun and entertaining. Overall, the book provides good insight into their lives and careers in the film industry.