Sterlin Harjo

Last updated

Sterlin Brown Harjo, Jr.
SXSW-2024-OB7A0195-alih-Sterlin Harjo-crop.jpg
Harjo in 2024
Born (1979-11-14) November 14, 1979 (age 45)
Holdenville, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma mater University of Oklahoma (BA)
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2004–present
Known for Reservation Dogs
Website sterlinharjo.com

Sterlin Harjo (born November 14, 1979) [1] [2] is an American Seminole filmmaker. He has directed three feature films, a documentary, and the FX comedy drama series Reservation Dogs , [2] all of them set in his home state of Oklahoma and concerned primarily with Native American people and content.

Contents

Early life and education

Harjo, a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma [1] who also has Muscogee heritage, was born and raised in Holdenville, Oklahoma. [1] He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he studied art and film. [3] [4]

Career

In 2004, he received a fellowship from the Sundance Institute. [5] His short film Goodnight, Irene [6] premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival [3] and received a special jury award at the Aspen Shortsfest. [3] In 2006, he received a fellowship from the newly formed organization United States Artists. [7] [8]

Harjo's first feature film, Four Sheets to the Wind , tells the story of a young Seminole man who travels from his small hometown to Tulsa to visit his sister after the death of their father. [9] [10] The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the grand jury prize. Harjo was named best director at the 2007 American Indian Film Festival. [11] The film's co-star Tamara Podemski won a Sundance special jury prize for her performance in the picture, [12] and she was later nominated for best supporting actress at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards. [10]

Harjo's second feature, Barking Water , premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. [11] It portrays a road trip by a dying man and his former lover across Oklahoma to see his daughter and granddaughter in Wewoka, the capital of the Seminole Nation. [13] [14] It was named best drama film at the 2009 American Indian Film Festival. [15]

Harjo's first feature documentary, This May Be the Last Time , is based on the story of his grandfather, who disappeared in 1962 in the Seminole County town of Sasakwa. It explores the subject of Creek Nation hymns and their connection to Scottish folk, gospel, and rock music. [16] [17] [18] The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, [19] and its distribution rights were subsequently acquired by AMC/Sundance Channel Global for the Sundance Channel. [20] Harjo's third feature film, Mekko , a thriller set in Tulsa, [21] premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2015. [22] [23]

Harjo has also directed a number of short-form projects. His 2009 short film Cepanvkuce Tutcenen ("three little boys") was part of the Embargo Collective project commissioned by the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. [24] He has directed a series of shorts for This Land Press in Tulsa, where Harjo is the staff video director. [25] He was a member of the 2010 Sundance shorts competition jury. [26]

Harjo is a founding member of a five-member Native American comedy group, the 1491s. [27] He is also one of the directors of the Cherokee Nation's monthly television news magazine, Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People. [28]

In 2021, FX released the first season of the Indigenous comedy series Reservation Dogs . It is executive-produced, directed, and co-written by Harjo, with Taika Waititi co-writing and executive-producing. [29] On September 2, 2021, FX renewed the series for a second season. [30] In 2022, Reservation Dogs was recognized at the 37th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards as Best New Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series. [31] During the ceremony, actor Devery Jacobs said: "This prize is so much bigger than ourselves, just ourselves. Each of us come from different nations across Turtle Island who survived 500 years of colonization. And in the 100 years of film and TV, Reservation Dogs now marks the first project with all Indigenous creatives at the helm." [32]

In 2023, Harjo directed the music video for the song "Mean Old Sun" by the Oklahoma country rock band Turnpike Troubadours. [33]

In October 2024, Harjo created a pilot episode for a series titled The Sensitive Kind with Ethan Hawke, which subsequently received a series order by FX. [34] [35]

Awards

Harjo was awarded the 2011 Tilghman Award from the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle [3] and the Tulsa Library Trust's 2013 American Indian Writers Award. [36] He also received a 2021 Peabody Award for Reservation Dogs. [37] In 2024, Harjo was named a MacArthur Fellow, the only filmmaker in the group. [38]

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pryor Creek, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

Pryor Creek or Pryor is a city in and county seat of Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 8,659 at the 2000 census and 9,539 in the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beggs, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

Beggs is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,179 as of the 2020 census. Beggs was named for Charles Hoffman Beggs (1865–1942), vice president of the St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okmulgee, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

Okmulgee is a city in the Tulsa metropolitan area and the county seat of Okmulgee County in Oklahoma, United States. The name is from the Muskogee word okimulgi, which means "boiling waters". The site was chosen because of the nearby rivers and springs. Okmulgee is 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta via US-75.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terlton, Oklahoma</span> Town in Oklahoma, United States

Terlton is a town in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located one-half mile south of US 412/US 64 on Terlton Road and County Road E0570. The population was 77 at the time of the 2020 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frybread</span> Variety of flatbread

Frybread is a dish of the indigenous people of North America that is a flat dough bread, fried or deep-fried in oil, shortening, or lard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Eyre</span> American film director

Chris Eyre, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is an American film director and producer who as of 2012 is chairman of the film department at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taika Waititi</span> New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian (born 1975)

Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi, is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian. He is known for directing quirky comedy films and has expanded his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

<i>Barking Water</i> 2009 American film

Barking Water is a 2009 independent feature film written and directed by Sterlin Harjo that premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Harjo's second feature film, it stars Richard Ray Whitman, Casey Camp-Horinek, Jon Proudstar, Aaron Riggs, Laura Spencer, Quese iMC, Ryan Red Corn, and Beau Harjo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundance Institute</span> American non-profit organisation

Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers from all over the world. At the core of the programs is the goal to introduce audiences to the artists' new work, aided by the institute's labs, granting and mentorship programs that take place throughout the year in the United States and internationally.

<i>Four Sheets to the Wind</i> 2007 American drama film

Four Sheets to the Wind is a 2007 independent drama film written and directed by Sterlin Harjo. It was Harjo's first feature film, and won several awards at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and American Indian Film Festival.

Carthew Neal is an Academy nominated film, television and interactive producer.

Garrett Basch is an American film and television producer. He is best known for his work on the Emmy-winning series The Night Of and What We Do in the Shadows, and for being the first producer ever to have three scripted shows nominated in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devery Jacobs</span> First Nations actress (born 1993)

Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs is a Mohawk actress. For her performance in Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013), she garnered a Canadian Screen Awards nomination for Best Actress. In 2023 and 2024, for her role on Reservation Dogs, she was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

<i>Mekko</i> 2015 film

Mekko is a 2015 American drama film directed by Sterlin Harjo. Harjo's third feature film, it is a thriller set among a community of homeless Native Americans in Tulsa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1491s</span> Native American sketch comedy group

The 1491s are a Native American sketch comedy group, with members based in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Montana. While the members' sketch comedy has had a growing cult following since the mid-2000s, and their videos since 2009, they are perhaps best known for their work in more widely-known shows such as Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs.

Rod Rondeaux is a Native American actor and stuntman. As an actor, his work includes the 2005 miniseries Into the West, Comanche Moon in 2008, the Cayuse character in the 2010 Kelly Reichardt film Meek's Cutoff, and the lead role in the 2015 film, Mekko. His stunt work includes Reel Injun and Comanche Moon.

<i>Reservation Dogs</i> American comedy-drama television series

Reservation Dogs is an American comedy-drama television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions. It follows the lives of Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, as they try to reconcile their heritage with their desire to escape the limitations of life in their reservation community.

D'Pharaoh Miskwaatez Loescher McKay Woon-A-Tai is a Canadian actor of Oji-Cree descent. He is best known for his role as Indigenous teenager Bear Smallhill in the FX on Hulu comedy-drama series Reservation Dogs (2021–2023), for which he received several accolades, including a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House Made of Bongs</span> 5th episode of the 3rd season of Reservation Dogs

"House Made of Bongs" is the fifth episode of the third and final season of the comedy and teen drama television series Reservation Dogs. It is the twenty-third episode overall; it was directed by Blackhorse Lowe and written by Tommy Pico and Sterlin Harjo. In the episode, a group of students at a boarding school on an Indian reservation attend a party where they prepare for their futures. It was released on FX on Hulu on August 23, 2023. The episode takes place in 1976 and features no appearances by the main cast.

The Sensitive Kind is an upcoming American television series created by Sterlin Harjo for FX. It will star Ethan Hawke.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sam Lewin, "Seminole Filmmaker Prepares to Hit the Silver Screen", Native Times News, reprinted in Canku Ota, May 24, 2004 (article gives his age as 24 in 2004).[ dead link ]
  2. 1 2 "Watch Now: Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo talks about made-in-Oklahoma TV series 'Reservation Dogs'". Jimmie Tramel, Tulsa World, February 13, 2021. February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Sterlin Harjo honored by Oklahoma Film Critics: The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle will present its 2011 Tilghman Award to state filmmaker Sterlin Harjo." The Oklahoman , November 4, 2011.
  4. ↑ Joanna Hearne and Zach Schlachter, "An Interview with Sterlin Harjo and Blackhorse Lowe", Native Americans on Film: Conversations, Teaching, and Theory (University Press of Kentucky, 2013), ISBN   978-0813140346, pp. 169ff. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  5. ↑ Dana Harris, "Sundance picks five for Annenberg coin", Variety , May 27, 2004, via HighBeam Research.
  6. ↑ Peter Hanson, "Goodnight, Irene", Film Threat , January 23, 2005. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  7. ↑ Patrick Cole, "Seminole Filmmaker, Guitarist Awarded $50,000 Grants" (Update1), Bloomberg.com, December 4, 2006.
  8. ↑ Sterlin Harjo, United States Artists. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ John Anderson, "This Time, the Indians Tell Their Own Story", The New York Times , August 27, 2006.
  10. 1 2 Andrew Horton, Joanna E. Rapf, eds., A Companion to Film Comedy (John Wiley & Sons, 2012), ISBN   978-1118327845, pp. 386ff. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  11. 1 2 Sterlin Harjo, National Museum of the American Indian, March 2011 (updated April 2014).
  12. ↑ Jeff Vice, "Sundance fest winners explore 'our global society'", Deseret News , January 28, 2007.
  13. ↑ Stephen Holden, "A Road Trip to the End of the Road", The New York Times , May 11, 2010.
  14. ↑ Ted Fry, "Final trip together sometimes clumsy, often touching." Seattle Times , April 16, 2010, via HighBeam Research.
  15. ↑ Angelica Lawson, "American Indian Feature Filmmakers and Popular Culture", in Elizabeth Delaney Hoffman. ed., American Indians and Popular Culture, (ABC-CLIO, 2012), ISBN   978-0313379918, pp. 98-99. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  16. ↑ Guy Lodge, Film Review: 'This May Be the Last Time', Variety , January 21, 2014.
  17. ↑ Lauren Wissot, "Sterlin Harjo on This May Be the Last Time", Filmmaker , January 22, 2014.
  18. ↑ Sterlin Harjo and Dr. Hugh Foley – "This May Be the Last Time", The Tavis Smiley Show (audio) (accessed September 19, 2014).
  19. ↑ Brandy McDonnell, "American Indian music documentary "This May Be the Last Time" to premiere at Sundance Film Festival", The Oklahoman , December 30, 2013.
  20. ↑ John Hopewell, "Sundance: AMC/Sundance Channel Global Swoops on Six Sundance Titles", Variety , January 23, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Tulsan Sterlin Harjo starts on new film 'Mekko'", Tulsa World , April 9, 2014.
  22. ↑ Rebecca Keegen, "LAFF 2015 aimed for diverse film fest lineup and dug deep to find it", Los Angeles Times , June 9, 2015.
  23. ↑ Kevin O'Keefe, "A New Movie Tells the Gripping, Resonant Story of a Native American Homeless Community", Mic, June 23, 2015.
  24. ↑ Embargo Collective, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, October 17, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Meet Sterlin Harjo", This Land Press, January 21, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Sundance 2010 unveils juries, plus a peek at short-film lineup", Los Angeles Times , January 12, 2010.
  27. ↑ Karen Shade, "The 1491s", Oklahoma Magazine, April 21, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Osiyo", Oklahoma Magazine, March 26, 2015.
  29. ↑ Thorne, Will (December 22, 2020). "Taika Waititi, Sterlin Harjo-Produced Comedy 'Reservation Dogs' Scores Series Order at FX". Variety . Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  30. ↑ Iannucci, Rebecca (September 2, 2021). "Reservation Dogs Renewed for Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  31. ↑ "The Lost Daughter finds the spotlight at Film Independent Spirit Awards: See the full list of winners". ew.com. March 6, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Spirit Awards: Taika Waititi Presents Best Ensemble Cast Award to His 'Reservation Dogs' Stars". The Hollywood Reporter . March 7, 2022.
  33. ↑ Turnpike Troubadours. "Mean Old Sun" . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  34. ↑ Otterson, Joe (October 1, 2024). "Ethan Hawke, Sterlin Harjo Drama Pilot Picked Up to Series at FX (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  35. ↑ Cobb, Kayla (October 1, 2024). "Ethan Hawke and Sterlin Harjo Drama Picked Up to Series at FX". The Wrap. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Library to Honor Oklahoma Screenwriter and Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo", October 4, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Reservation Dogs". peabodyawards.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  38. ↑ Blair, Elizabeth (October 1, 2024). "Here's who made the 2024 MacArthur Fellows list". NPR. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.