Filmmaker Sunrise Tippeconnie visits Movie Addict Headquarters on May 17 to discuss “Native Americans on Film.” As an added attraction, actress/director Valerie Redhorse calls in to talk about H.A.P.N., an organization she founded to help Native Americans move more smoothly into the movie world, and about her own film, Naturally Native.

Currently developing feature movies and a television pilot, Tippeconnie also works extensively in independent film, in roles as diverse as gaffer, electrician, cinematographer, editor, director, consultant and producer. His movie credits include American Indian Graffiti: This Thing Life, The Killer Inside Me, Splinter, Immaculate Reception, Yellow, Loneliness and Anticipation of Land in 2089.   

Tippeconnie has produced short films which have been shown at the Heard Museum, imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival and the National Museum of the American Indian. In 2007 he was a selected artist for the exhibition “Looking Indian” at the [Artspace] at Untitled gallery in Oklahoma City, and for the OklaDaDA Oklahoma centennial art show “Current Realities.” Tippeconnie teaches in the film and video studies department at the University of Oklahoma. 

Among topics covered in this episode are: 

■  How Native American filmmakers are working to change the way Native Americans are portrayed in Hollywood movies.

■  Best and worst mainstream films about Native Americans.

“Native Americans on Film” airs Tuesday, May 17, at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Pacific Time) on BlogTalkRadio. During the live show, listeners are invited to call in and to participate in a chat. An archived segment will also be available.

HOST: Betty Jo Tucker

CO-HOST: Jazz Shaw

PRODUCER: Nikki Starr

CO-PRODUCER: Misha Zubarev

LINK TO LISTEN: Click here on or after May 17, 2011. 

(Photo: Native American filmmaker Sunrise Tippeconnie)