Fancy Dance

A road trip film with purpose and one of this year’s Sundance favorites, Erica Tremblay’s tale of a Native American and her niece rebelling against a system that does not value them is a beautiful, yet painfully relevant, experience.

Ever since her sister's disappearance a few weeks back, Jax, a hustler at the Seneca-Caguya Reservation, has been caring for her niece Roki. Not knowing her mother's fate, she looks forward to seeing her again at the weekend's powwow, hoping that they will dance together as they used to. These plans, however, are thrown awry when custody of Roki is transferred to her grandfather. Fearing she will lose the last remnants of her family, Jax takes Roki with her and hits the road to seek answers regarding her sister's whereabouts, with the police hot on their trail.

Fancy Dance is a heartfelt and politically potent portrayal of systematic issues Native Americans face to this very day. Lily Gladstone, who also stars in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, delivers a striking performance as Jax, heightened by the realistic interactions between her and her young co-star Isabel Deroy-Olson.

«Tremblay’s film validates the varied expressions of that experience with an affirming account of resilience and hope that sparkles with authentic performances, sensitive scripting and a genuine sense of place that resonate well after the final credits roll.»
– Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter –

Jenny Lund

Director

Erica Tremblay (b. 1980) is a Seneca-Caguya American director and writer working in film and television. She has previously directed the documentaries Heartland: A Story of Survival (2012) and In the Turn (2014), as well as the critically acclaimed short Little Chief (2020). Fancy Dance is her feature film debut.

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