OKMULGEE – A sacred red rock returns home to its people after being stolen for generations. A traditional Native folktale comes to life in its historical pre-contact language and wardrobe.
These two films featured at this year’s Circle Cinema Film Festival seem to have very little in common at first glance. Together, however, they represent a growing drive among Native filmmakers to use cinematic techniques to redefine their storytelling and preserve culture.
“Return of the Sacred Red Rock” and “Siren of the Wood” are part of the festival lineup that highlights the diversity of Native storytelling in Oklahoma. Festival organizers say the films stood out not only for their cultural significance but also for their ability to connect with audiences.
Bailey Hawkins, marketing manager at Circle Cinema, said the theater’s film selection process is grounded in supporting voices that resonate with audiences, regardless of budget or background.
“Community consciousness through film. That’s really who we are,” Hawkins said.
That philosophy has shaped the festival’s approach to showcasing independent films and filmmakers, including Native creators whose work explores themes of history and language.
For Cherokee citizen Jeremy Charles, the significance of “Return of the Red Rock” lies in the reconnection of a people with a part of their history, not just the return of a physical object.
The documentary follows the return of In’zhúje’waxobe, a 28-ton quartzite boulder, to the Kaw people after it was removed from their homeland and held in Lawrence, Kansas, for more than a century. The film captures a significant point of repatriation and the weight of that return for the Kaw people.
“Language encapsulates a people. The way you think about the world is inside your language.” – Jeremy Charles
While making the film, Charles said one of his main priorities was to include the Kaw language.
“Language encapsulates a people,” Charles said. “The way you think about the world is inside your language.”
For Charles, language was not simply a tool for communication – it was a way to understand his identity and the world around him, as well as the identity of the Kaw. Through the documentary, he hoped to capture how the return of the In’zhúje’waxobe could reshape how the Kaw people see themselves and how others understand their history.
“[The film] reframes their entire identity a little bit,” Charles said. “A small ripple. Folks who have never been seen before feel recognized, feel valuable, feel like they’re important.”
While “Return of the Sacred Red Rock” documents a moment of reconnection with history and tradition, Christopher Coursey’s “Siren of the Wood” highlights how Native filmmakers are using those same cultural foundations to create new stories.
Coursey, a Cherokee Nation citizen from Tahlequah, created the short film as a Cherokee-language thriller inspired by the legend of Deer Woman. Through the filmmaking process, he sought to bring Cherokee storytelling into a genre that often overlooks original content.
Always looking for ways to incorporate his language into his short films, Coursey said making the film entirely in Cherokee was decisive and daunting, but it allowed the language to shape the story’s atmosphere and emotion.
“If we did it all in Cherokee, it would sound older and more mysterious,” Coursey said.
The film draws on folklore surrounding Deer Woman, a figure Coursey said has existed across many tribes, with no single origin. That allowed him some creative freedom in writing an origin for the character while still honoring the principles that make her a meaningful figure.
The film represents a broader vision for Native filmmaking for Coursey – one where Indigenous filmmakers are not limited in their creative processes to just documenting history, but are also able to create their own original stories.
“I just wanted to show that we can create original content like anybody else,” Coursey said. “Not everything has to be a documentary.”
The impact of films like “Return of the Sacred Red Rock” and “Siren of the Wood” extends beyond the festival, showcasing a growing movement of Native filmmakers in Oklahoma’s independent film scene.
When asked what she sees for the future of Native filmmaking in Oklahoma, Hawkins said Native filmmakers are spearheading the movement in independent film by creating opportunities and spaces for more diverse voices and by expanding audiences’ expectations.
“I think Native filmmaking is the champion,” Hawkins said. “The Native film community is paving the road and making it welcoming for everyone.”
For the directors featured at Circle Cinema, that task is loftier than just making movies. It’s a way to preserve their history, carry their languages for future generations, and create ample opportunities for Indigenous stories.
“Filmmaking is one of the shortcuts to changing the world,” Charles said.
