Reservation Redemption
Saturday, May 9, | 1:00pm | Seattle Public Library - Central Library
Reservation Redemption follows Chief, a Native man who, after losing his way, finds healing and purpose through reconnecting with culture, community, and spiritual traditions.
Director Brenda Fisher (Yakama) scheduled to attend.
RSVP
This special screening brings together two powerful films that center Native strength, resilience, and the enduring connection to culture across generations.
Talliyah, a short film, offers an intimate portrait of Native vitality and courage through the lens of Indian Relay horse racing. Told from the perspective of a young woman, the film captures the intensity, skill, and deep cultural grounding required to participate in this high-risk, intergenerational tradition. It is a story of strength in motion and of identity shaped through land, body, and ancestral knowledge.
The feature documentary, Reservation Redemption, follows the journey of "Chief," a Native man who, after losing his way, finds a path forward through reconnecting with his culture. Through personal testimony and community voices, the film explores the impacts of cultural disconnection, including cycles of incarceration, while illuminating the transformative power of spiritual and cultural healing from Indigenous perspectives. Together, these films speak to both the challenges and the profound resilience within Native communities by honoring the role of culture as a source of identity, strength, and return.
—Tracy Rector
- Director: Brenda Fisher (Yakama), Blake Pickens (Chickasaw)
- Country: USA
- Year: 2026
- Running Time: 57 min.
- Producer: Brenda Fisher, Blake Pickens
- Cinematographers: William Carnahan, Collier Landry
- Editors: Caleb Vesely
- Music: Maxwell Odom
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Spokane International Film Festival 2026 (Silver Spiffy: Best NW Feature Award)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: English
Packaged Films
Talliyah
USA | 2025 | 4 min. | Fritz Bitsoie (Diné)Talliyah is an intimate portrait of Native vitality and courage, following a young woman in Indian Relay racing, where identity, skill, and tradition converge.