Tokala Tatum - Sundance Collab

Tokala Tatum comes from a deep-seated background in his Native American culture (Yakama/Rosebud Sioux) but not only the glamorous side of dance, song and traditions. Also, the side that no one speaks of, the death, abuse and trauma that come with living as a Native American today. This led him to finding filmmaking as an outlet, a way to breathe after being buried for so long. So, when it comes to the stories he tells, regardless of the narrative, he always seeks to portray the truth because that's all he knows. Creating an entertaining experience, at times a heightened sense of reality in order to portray the truth in a digestible format is his form of storytelling.

My work:

Video

They're Not Here | Proof of Concept

Creator: Tokala Tatum

They're Not Here | Proof of Concept

Creator: Tokala Tatum

This is a heartfelt passion project that has hit that sweet spot of mine between grounded and dramatic storytelling while rising to elevate its presentation to a larger platform and audience. A pathway into filmmaking I gravitated toward naturally; grounded genre-filmmaking. My goal as an Indigenous filmmaker has been to elevate our deep-seated stories, the spectacle of genre-filmmaking has been a natural co-existence with many of my films, adapting to each story that I tell. This film's no different, it showcases the strong roots of my filmmaking foundation and the potential my voice and storytelling have for the future.