Native roots

Filmmaker with local ties wins Sundance fellowship, plans new full-length project

Success can cause some people to lose touch with their humble origins and forget where they came from. But for rising filmmaker Brooke Swaney, much of her recent storytelling success is rooted in thematic elements that touch on her tribal ancestry here in Montana. Swaney, who is a member of the Blackfeet Nation and whose mother is Salish, spent her childhood in Ronan and Polson before moving to Helena at age 10.

Last month, Swaney, 31, was one of four filmmakers to receive the prestigious 2012 NativeLab Fellowship from Robert Redford’s renowned Sundance Institute. The distinction is awarded to promising Native American film artists, and provides them with valuable networking opportunities through attendance at both a five-day workshop and the Native Forum to be held at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

The intensive workshop was held in late May in New Mexico. At the New Mexico summit, the four fellows were mentored by experienced filmmakers – gleaning insightful feedback, while also forging relationships with established professionals in the independent film community. Swaney plans to use her experiences with Sundance to advance the production of her ongoing project, “Circle” — her first feature-length film.

Like your average kid, Swaney grew up an enthusiastic movie-goer, but long before film was her artistic medium of choice, she fostered an interest in theater. Her interest in the performing arts manifested itself in her commitment to community theater as a teen in Helena, and also through her involvement with a sketch comedy group in her time as an undergraduate at Stanford University.

Despite her positive experiences on stage, over time, Swaney’s eye gravitated toward film, noting that “film is more accessible than theater” and can be enjoyed by wider audiences from more walks of life.

After graduating from Stanford and mulling a career as a lawyer, Swaney bounded in another direction when her short film “Indigenoid” – about a Native American man becoming aware of the societal pervasiveness of racial stereotypes – helped her gain admission to New York University’s celebrated film program at the Tisch School of the Arts.

Swaney’s fledgling film career took root at NYU, where she went on to produce numerous short films that garnered critical acclaim. Though her resumé already boasts an impressive collection of highly touted shorts, she is hopeful that her fellowship with Sundance will help take her blossoming career to the next level. Of her achievements, Swaney says that receiving the award from Sundance “certainly ranks as my best laurel so far,” and is confident that it will assist in transplanting her knowledge of film from the classroom to the real world and also with making the leap from short films to feature-length works.

With those goals in mind, Swaney explains that her fellowship “represents the start of a relationship with the Sundance Institute. In addition to building connections, it helps take you beyond school and helps you come into your own as an artist and discover your voice.”

The project that caught Sundance’s attention is “Circle,” Swaney’s inaugural full-length project. “Circle,” based on Swaney’s existing short, “Ok, Breathe, Auralee,” is a tale of a Native American woman named Auralee “and her quest to get a baby,” as Swaney tells it. In that quest, she “discovers her identity, we learn her story as well as the story behind her birth mother’s circumstances and ultimately witness a reconnection with her personal history and tribal heritage.”

Although the film is not autobiographical, Swaney shares some notable similarities with her protagonist. The two are similar ages and both grew up outside of the reservation.

“Growing up off of the reservation, I had this curiosity about tribal culture,” says Swaney. That sense of fascination is reflected in her body of work, which tends to focus on issues facing young Native Americans in contemporary life. “I feel it’s natural to gravitate toward stories about yourself and your history.”

“Circle” is still in the developing stages, and Swaney is currently staying with her mother in Polson to write the screenplay. Details such as filming location are still coming into focus, but Swaney plans to split the story’s setting between New York City and Montana. Swaney chose the dual setting because she has spent significant chapters of her life in each locale. The setting was also influenced by her desire to draw attention to Native Americans living in urban settings, and combine that element with the quintessential tale of someone returning to their simpler roots in rural America.

Those interested in viewing some of Swaney’s past work can do so on the website for “Ok, Breathe, Auralee.” Members of the community will also have a chance to watch one of her short films this fall, when Swaney hopes to arrange a public screening in the area.