
NETA Presentation
Warrior Women
American Indian Movement activists who fought for civil rights in the ‘70s were anchored by Madonna Thunder Hawk, and her daughter Marcy Gilbert.
Three Navajo high school seniors must decide whether to stay in their community or leave in pursuit of educational and economic opportunities.
Erica Scharf has spent much of her career in documentary film and television. She is currently editing the documentary television show, The Shift, airing on Investigation Discovery. In 2008, Scharf spent six months on location in Dallas, TX, shooting and producing A&E’s documentary television show, The First 48. She has also edited eight episodes… Show more
Christina D. King is a Creek/Seminole filmmaker whose work focuses largely on civic engagement through storytelling and democratizing filmmaker opportunities for minority voices. King produced Up Heartbreak Hill (POV), a year in the life of three Navajo teens. King began her career in production on the feature films Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus… Show more
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Up Heartbreak Hill chronicles the lives of Thomas, Tamara and Gabby — three Native American teenagers in Navajo, New Mexico — as they navigate their senior year at a reservation high school. As graduation nears, they must decide whether to stay in their community — a place inextricably woven into the fiber of their being — or leave in pursuit of opportunities elsewhere. Largely isolated from mainstream America, they hesitate to separate from their families and traditions, rooted to home in equal parts by love, obligation, and fear. Tribal elders urge members of the younger generation to leave — to acquire and education or learn a trade — and return home with the skills to help their people. But, with an unemployment rate near 58 percent and a per capita income under $4,600, Navajo offers few prospects.
As the three consider their options it becomes apparent how severely poverty has handicapped them. Drugs, alcohol abuse, and teen pregnancy have affected Thomas, Tamara, and Gabby in profound and personal ways. Each bears amazing strength and promise — but all are products of their environment, and it is the same community that has set before them so many challenges that now asks them to become the leaders who will reshape the Navajo Nation.
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