The documentary mentions the following movies as being part of the "Renaissance of Native cinema"—that is, movies by Native peoples about Native experiences, that "portray Native people as human beings" and depict Native cultures in an authentic way: •
Smoke Signals, 1998 •
Dance Me Outside, 1994 •
Flags of Our Fathers, 2006 •
Atanarjuat -- The Fast Runner, 2001 -- "A film that has revolutionized Native cinema," and "the most Indian movie ever made." (see 1:18) •
Whale Rider, 2002—New Zealand •
Once Were Warriors, 1994—New Zealand •
Skins, 2002 •
Ten Canoes, 2006—Australia •
Rabbit Proof Fence, 2002—Australia Also worth mentioning is a silent film from 1930,
The Silent Enemy (a reference to starvation), which this documentary calls "one of the most authentic films of its time, featuring real Native actors" (discussed 19 minutes into this documentary). In this documentary, silent film historian David Kiehn explains that, during the era of silent films, there was a great number of "Native American people directing and acting in films, and they were bringing their viewpoints to the table too. And those were being listened to". But then, according to this documentary, "[I]n the 1930s, [the Hollywood portrayal of] the Indian was transformed into a brutal savage". Film historian Angela Aleiss explains that "[T]here were a number of films that came out in the early 1930s that followed in the steps of
The Silent Enemy, and the Indians were the stars of these movies, but... they just bombed at the box office. Americans [were] not that interested in them". The documentary asserts that "America, struggling through the Great Depression, [needed] a new brand of hero". Movies like
Stagecoach, which pitted cowboys against Indians and portrayed Native Americans as "vicious and bloodthirsty", became the Hollywood image of Indians until the 1970s. ==Native actors and performers==