Cinema: They've Gotta Have It

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"There's a real hunger for our people to tell their own stories," says Ava Hamilton, who heads the Native American Producers Alliance, an advocacy group of video directors and filmmakers from 20 tribes. "It's not just coming from the Indian community either. Everyone knows that what Hollywood's given us in the past has been pure fiction." Already this year, two other full-length independent features are making the festival circuit looking for exposure--Naturally Native, a heartfelt drama written and co-directed by Valerie Red-Horse, is about sisters trying to launch a cosmetics line; and Ian Skorodin's politically oriented Tushka is based on the FBI's efforts to neutralize Indian radicals during the 1970s.

Eyre and Alexie are also lining up future projects. Eyre is readying a biopic about imprisoned activist Leonard Peltier. Alexie plans on directing a script based on his 1996 book Indian Killer, sort of a Native American Psycho involving a murderer who scalps his victims. Though he'll continue with novels and poetry, Alexie has staked out his new territory. "I love the way movies have more power than books," he says. "They continue the oral tradition, the way we all sit around the fire and listen to stories." And in them, the Indians win.