Sundance’s Second Annual Indigenous House to Feature Fireside Chat with Sydney Freeland (Exclusive)

IllumiNative is bringing its Indigenous House back to the Sundance Film Festival.

Now with a third day of programming, the Main Street gathering spot will run Jan. 19 to 21 and feature music, art and food celebrating Native culture. Talks include a fireside chat with director Sydney Freeland (Navajo), whose latest project is Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series Echo, as well as discussions with Reservation Dogs writer-director-producer Tazbah Chavez (Dinè/Nüümü/San Carlos Apache) and filmmaker-activist Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen/Lil’Wat Nation of Mount Currie). The latter, whose U.S. documentary competition entry Sugarcane investigates abuse and missing children at an Indian reservation school, will discuss healing and justice amid the history of Indigenous boarding schools in North America.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

“Last year, we saw the positive impact of Native representation and Native-led content, and while we recognize that there’s still progress to be made, this year’s Indigenous House promises to build on our commitment to presenting the diversity of Indigenous stories, fostering crucial conversations and inspiring future generations of storytellers,” IllumiNative founder and executive director Crystal Echo Hawk (Pawnee) said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome everyone back to Park City to celebrate with our Native community and allies for another year of incredible films and impactful discussions.”

Other than Park City, IllumiNative also hosted a one-night Indigenous House celebration in Los Angeles in October. Indigenous House: Sundance Film Festival is made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as presenting sponsor, with additional sponsorship from the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, Pop Culture Collaborative, Christensen Fund, the MacArthur Foundation, Nia Tero, Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. More information about Indigenous House can be obtained by emailing IllumiNative@ssmandl.com.

Indigenous House will join other community-specific gathering spots at Sundance, including the South Asian Lodge, also returning for the second year in a row.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter