PORT ANGELES — Filmmakers Sandra Sunrising Osawa and Yasu Osawa will screen their film “Maria Tallchief,” a woman considered to be America’s first major prima ballerina, at 3 p.m. Thursday.
The free screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers on Zoom at https://pencol-edu.zoom.us/j/88952203757.
The meeting ID is 889 5220 3757.
The documentary traces highlights of the life and artistry of Tallchief, the daughter of an Osage Nation member, Alexander Joseph Tall Chief, and Ruth Porter, who was of Scottish-Irish descent.
Her partnership with choreographer George Balanchine helped create the New York City Ballet and is considered to have revolutionized ballet in America.
Rare archival clips and stills from the 1940s through her retirement in the mid-1960s trace this important period of ballet and Native history.
“Maria Tallchief” was directed by Osawa, a filmmaker who has spent her award-winning career giving voice to contemporary Native issues, organizers said, adding that her motivation was to present an alternative image of the American Indian woman to combat stories of loss and victimhood.
A member of the Makah Tribe, Osawa was raised in both Neah Bay and Port Angeles, holds a bachelor’s from Portland’s Lewis and Clark College and attended the UCLA graduate film program.
Her films include Lighting the 7th Fire (1995), Pepper’s Pow Wow (1999), On & Off the Res’ w/ Charlie Hill (2000), Usual and Accustomed Places (2009) and Princess Angeline (2011), plus more than 60 works for museums and tribes.
Her work is studied in college classrooms across the country, and the University of North Carolina purchased her entire collection, including her first UCLA student film.
Her husband and longtime film partner, Yasu Osawa, will join her in the dialogue. Yasu is a cinematographer and editor. Together they own Upstream Productions.
Peninsula College is working to purchase their collection of films to share with the community and students.
DVDs of their movies are available for purchase at www.upstreamvideos.com.
The screening and diciscussion are hosted by Studium Generale, ʔaʔk̓ʷustəƞáwt̓xʷ House of Learning, PC Longhouse and Magic of Cinema.
Maria Tallchief began studying dance at early age in the Osage Indian community of Fairfax, Okla.
