MVFF47 - RSVP Guide

It is said that Native Americans of the Great Plains had “over 500 purposes for the buffalo body,” including lodging, clothing, bedding, and food—no part went unused. There was also a spiritual element to the tribes’ connection to these magnificent creatures. When the US and Canadian governments sought to seize traditional tribal lands, they encouraged extermination of the species to help eradicate the preexisting human populace. Within a short period, only 1,000 buffalo remained out of a population that previously numbered 30 million. This stunningly photographed documentary, narrated by recent Oscar-nominee Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), chronicles latter-day efforts by her Blackfoot peoples to reintroduce wild herds into landscapes that haven’t seen their like in generations. It’s a long, labored process beset by political and logistical challenges. But the spectacular views of Glacier National Park and other locations near our northern border make even that struggle a joy to behold. —Dennis Harvey
 
Directors: Ivan MacDonald, Ivy MacDonald, Daniel Glick
Initiative: Mind the Gap
Country: UK
 
Ivan MacDonald is an Emmy-winning filmmaker based in Montana. He is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe. His most recent project, Murder in Bighorn, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Non-Scripted Television Series. He is an inaugural fellow for the Netflix and illuminative Producers Fellowship, and is also inaugural recipient of the Hulu and Firelight Kindling Fund.

Ivy MacDonald is a director, producer, screenplay writer, and cinematographer based in Montana. She is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe. In late 2023 she co-wrote and co-directed her first narrative short film, Buffalo Spirit, which will premiere later this year. She also helped produce Murder in Bighorn, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and aired nationally on Showtime. Ivy won an Emmy for her producing work on the 2020 ESPN shot Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible. She is currently directing and shooting for When They Were Here.

Daniel Glick is a director, writer, producer, cinematographer, and editor. For his short film, Iniskim (2019), he was nominated for directing, producing, and photography Emmys, winning for photography. His first feature documentary film, A Place to Stand (2014) won two Telly Awards. He has directed and produced several dozen short and branded documentaries. Three of his most recent personal projects were Our Last Refuge (2017), Iniskim, and Bring Them Home/Aiskótáhkapiyaaya, all short films set on the Blackfeet Reservation that he worked on with Blackfeet tribal members.



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