Erica Tremblay

Erica Tremblay
Born1980 (age 44–45)
Oklahoma, United States
NationalitySeneca-Cayuga Nation, American
Alma materMissouri State University
OccupationFilm director
Years active2011–present
Notable workIn the Turn (2014)
Fancy Dance (2023)

Erica Tremblay (born 1980) is a Native American filmmaker from the Seneca–Cayuga Nation.

Tremblay's debut feature film, Fancy Dance (2023), featured Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone and premiered at Sundance. She also wrote and directed on FX's Emmy-nominated television series Reservation Dogs and AMC's Dark Winds.

Early life and education

Tremblay was born in 1980 in Oklahoma.[1] She grew up in a Seneca–Cayuga community near the Oklahoma–Missouri border, where her mother served on the tribal council.[2] She is a citizen of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation.[3][4]

Tremblay attended Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State).[3] Initially studying broadcast journalism, she switched her major to media studies after discovering the work of women directors and realizing she could pursue a career in filmmaking. She graduated with a degree in journalism and media.[2]

Career

Tremblay began her career in 2007 after moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she made her first documentary film, Tiny Red Universe (2007), serving as writer and director.[5] The short film aired on IFC.[6]

In 2012, Tremblay released Heartland: A Portrait of Survival.[7][8][5] The documentary was shown at the Omaha Film Festival,[9] and at the St. Louis International Film Festival.[10] Two years later, she released In the Turn, a documentary film that revolves around Crystal, a ten-year-old transgender girl from Timmins, Ontario.[11] During this period, Tremblay also worked closely with grassroots organizations like the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and Wica Agli, using film as a tool for advocacy on issues such as violence against Indigenous women and restorative justice.[12][13] In 2017, she joined Bustle as director of video. Before joining that magazine, she worked for Hearst Digital Media.[14]

In 2018, Tremblay was selected for the Sundance Institute's Native Filmmakers Lab, a development program for emerging Indigenous filmmakers.[2] Through the lab, she developed Little Chief which featured Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone and premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.[2] Shortly after, she made a personal decision to deepen her cultural engagement by moving to Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada, to study the Cayuga language.[2] She spent three years in an immersive language program, studying her ancestral language and connecting with her community.[2]

Transitioning into television, Tremblay contributed to the writing and directing of groundbreaking Indigenous-led series. She joined the creative team of Reservation Dogs (2021–2023), the FX comedy-drama about Native youth in Oklahoma created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi.[2][15] On Reservation Dogs, Tremblay served as a co-producer, writer, and director on multiple episodes, helping to shape the show’s honest and humorous portrayal of modern Native American life. She also wrote and directed for the AMC series Dark Winds, a noir thriller centered on Navajo Nation law enforcement, contributing to Seasons 1, 3 and 4.[2][16] In April 2023, the first episode of the first season, "Monster Slayer", of Dark Winds was honored as an Outstanding Fictional Television Drama by the Western Heritage Awards of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.[17][18] In May 2023, Dark Winds received several Vision Awards from the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC). It received the award for Best Drama, and for Best Performance in a Drama Series, awarded to Zahn McClarnon.[19]

In 2023, Tremblay made her feature film directorial debut with Fancy Dance, which she wrote, directed, and produced.[20][21] Fancy Dance premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was met with critical acclaim for balancing its heartbreaking subject matter with moments of humor and hope drawn from Native resilience.[2] It also screened at the 2023 South by Southwest, and at the 2023 NewFest.[22][23] It was supported in part by the Cherokee Nation film initiative.[24][25] The film was acquired by Apple Original Films in 2024.[26]

Personal life

Tremblay is queer.[3] She is based in Ithaca, where she lives on the original lands of the Seneca Cayuga Nation.[27]

Awards and recognition

  • Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellowship (2016): Awarded a National Artist Fellowship from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, recognizing her as an emerging Native filmmaker.[28][29]
  • Sundance Institute Native Filmmakers Lab Fellow (2018): Selected by the Sundance Indigenous Program to develop Little Chief, which later premiered at Sundance Film Festival.[2]
  • 2021 Sundance Screenwriters Lab Fellow[30]
  • 2021 Sundance Directors Lab Fellow [30]
  • Native American 40 Under 40: Honored as one of the "40 Under 40" outstanding Native Americans (late 2010s) for her contributions to media and community.[13]
  • Lynn Shelton "Of a Certain Age" Grant (2021): Received a $25,000 film grant from the Northwest Film Forum in memory of director Lynn Shelton, awarded to support Fancy Dance as Tremblay's first narrative feature project.[31]
  • BAFTA Breakthrough USA (2024): Named a BAFTA Breakthrough artist in 2024 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.[2]

Filmography

Films

List of film appearances, with year, title, type, and role shown
Year Title Type Role
2007 Tiny Red Universe Documentary Writer, Director, Producer
2012 Heartland: Portrait of Survival Documentary Writer, Director, Producer
2014 In the Turn Documentary Writer, Director, Producer
2020 Little Chief Short Film Writer, Director, Producer
2023 Fancy Dance Feature Film Writer, Director, Producer

Television

List of television works by Tremblay, with year, title, role, and network
Year Title Role Network
2021–2023 Reservation Dogs Writer, Director, Co-Producer FX
2022–2024 Dark Winds Writer, Director, Supervising Producer AMC

References

  1. ^ "The Independents: We're following a year in the life of 7 Sundance filmmakers". Los Angeles Times. 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Rewriting the Native American movie script". Deseret News. March 2, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Behind the Lens: A Conversation with Filmmaker Erica Tremblay (Seneca-Cayuga)". www.arts.gov. June 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "Seneca-Cayuga Filmmaker, Erica Tremblay, Honors Her Past and Inspires the Future". Seneca Cayuga Tribe. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  5. ^ a b Korbelik, Jeff (19 May 2012). "New documentary with Nebraska ties revisits 2011 Joplin tornado". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  6. ^ Shipman, Dustin (17 May 2007). "'Tiny' film gets big exposure". Joplin Globe. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  7. ^ McKinney, Roger (19 May 2012). "Tornado documentary has Joplin premiere". Joplin Globe. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Joplin area native premiers documentary about May 22nd EF5 tornado". KSHB. 20 May 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  9. ^ Lee, Cheril (4 March 2013). "Heartland". KIOS. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  10. ^ Heuer, Alex; Edwards, Mary; Marsh, Don (15 November 2012). "New Films Document Devastation, Hope In Aftermath Of Joplin Tornado". St. Louis Public Radio. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  11. ^ Reid, Regan (21 May 2015). "The State of LGBT Film in 2015". Vice. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  12. ^ "/2020 Shortfest".
  13. ^ a b "Sundance Institute Selects Erica Tremblay and MorningStar Angeline Wilson For 2018 Native Filmmakers Lab".
  14. ^ Grinapol, Corinne (14 March 2017). "Erica Tremblay Joins Bustle as Director of Video". Ad Week. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  15. ^ Journal, BRUCE R. MILLER Sioux City (June 27, 2024). "Documentaries gave Erica Tremblay the nudge to try dramas". Chippewa Herald.
  16. ^ "'Fancy Dance' foregrounds a Native language. Its director wants Hollywood to go much further". Los Angeles Times. June 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "Western Heritage Award Winners". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
  18. ^ "The Wrangler Comes to Town | Not a Blog".
  19. ^ "NAMIC Announces Recipients of Annual Vision Awards » NAMIC » Multi-ethnic Diversity in the Communications Industry". May 23, 2023.
  20. ^ "2023 Sundance Film Festival - US Dramatic Competition - Fancy Dance". Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Institute. 2023. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  21. ^ Complex, Valerie (29 January 2023). "'Fancy Dance' Sundance Film Festival Review: Lily Gladstone Delivers A Strong Performance In Erica Tremblay's Feature Film Debut". Deadline. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2023). "SXSW Second Wave Includes UAR's 'Bottoms', Donald Glover's 'Swarm' Series, Michelle Yeoh's 'American Born Chinese' & More".
  23. ^ "FANCY DANCE". NewFest.
  24. ^ Tramel, Jimmie (31 January 2023). "Cherokee Nation film incentive led to 'Fancy Dance' at Sundance". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  25. ^ Sellers, Caroline (31 January 2023). "Cherokee Nation film office celebrates premiere of 'Fancy Dance'". KFOR. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  26. ^ Welk, Brian (February 6, 2024). "Lily Gladstone Sundance Drama 'Fancy Dance' Finally Has a Home at Apple". Indie Wire.
  27. ^ Armitstead, Claire (2024-06-22). "'We're really funny people': Native American director Erica Tremblay on Lily Gladstone, laughter for survival and breaking Hollywood". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  28. ^ Schilling, Vincent (22 August 2016). "16 Native Awardees of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation for 2016". Indian Country Media Network. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  29. ^ "Native Arts, Cultures awards fellowships". Tahlequah Daily Press. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  30. ^ a b "Sundance Institute Announces the 20 Fellows Selected for the 2021 Native, Directors and Screenwriters Labs".
  31. ^ "NWFF Awards Erica Tremblay $25,000 as the 2021 Recipient for the Lynn Shelton "Of A Certain Age" Grant".
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