By Fox23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation announced its production company, Cherokee Film Productions, will be releasing a feature-length documentary about Cherokee Freedmen.
“We will not shy away from the dark, uncomfortable parts of our history,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “If we mean to seek equality, and true and lasting change, we must recognize our failures and seek to understand and share the story of the Cherokee Freedmen. This is a commitment we will not take lightly and one that we hope will result in the healing of a Nation and a future together built on trust and respect.”
The documentary will be produced by the same team behind the docuseries “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People” and will be co-directed by Cherokee Nation citizens Jen Loren and Melissa Payne.
The documentary is set to delve into the Cherokee Nation’s history of enslavement and the fight by Cherokee Freedmen and their descendants to reclaim the tribal citizenship they said was guaranteed for them in 1866.
The documentary team said they consulted with the Cherokee Nation’s Freedman advisory committee to accurately and respectfully portray the Cherokee Freedmen’s history and legacy.
Freedmen Community Liaison and documentary co-director Melissa Payne explained, “This documentary is raw, emotional, difficult and honest. It honors the sacrifices of our ancestors while celebrating the fact that we are now united as one people. I could not be more grateful for the work that is being done on behalf of the Cherokee Freedmen and their descendants, and for the way Chief Hoskin has ensured this effort will continue. The Freedmen story continues to unfold, and we are Cherokee.”
The documentary follows the descendants of freed slaves as they explore their identities as Cherokee Freedmen, along with historical insights provided by Cherokee historians Dr. Julie Reed, Jack Baker and Marilynn Vann, alongside academic scholar Tiya Miles from Harvard University.
Cherokee Film Productions said it plans to premiere the documentary in the fall on the festival circuit with hopes to subsequently distribute the documentary worldwide.
To view the documentary’s trailer, click here.
