SULPHUR, Okla.— Acclaimed First American films and filmmakers will be in the spotlight during the Chickasaw Cultural Center’s 10th annual Holbaꞌ Pisachiꞌ Native Film Festival, Friday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 9. The Chickasaw Cultural Center is located at 867 Cooper Memorial Road, Sulphur, Oklahoma.
This special event will feature a variety of films, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, a youth film workshop, autograph and red-carpet opportunities and much more.
Holba' Pisachi' means “Showing Pictures” in Chikashshanompa' (the Chickasaw language). The theme for the 2025 film festival is “Native Creatives Come Together: Continuing to Thrive for Future Generations.”
For the past decade, Holbaꞌ Pisachiꞌ Native Film Festival has provided a dynamic avenue to share Chickasaw and First American culture, Fran Parchcorn, Chickasaw Cultural Center Executive Officer, said.
“The goal of the Holba' Pisachi' Native Film Festival is to promote the art of First American cinema through cultural awareness using mass media,” Parchcorn said.
“The film festival is important because it allows us to carry on a form of storytelling, which is important in First American traditions. We are celebrating and uplifting Indigenous filmmakers who are working to preserve our culture.”
Indigenous artists from First American nations throughout the United States are anticipated to attend Holba' Pisachi'.
A youth filmmaking workshop, “Filmmaking with an Indigenous Lens,” will be conducted 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8. Filmmakers LaRonn Katchia (Warm Springs/Wasco/Paiute) and Ryker Sixkiller (Cherokee Nation) will lead the workshop. Several films and a Q&A session with filmmakers will be featured in the Anoli' Theater from 1-5 p.m., Aug. 8.
Saturday, Aug. 9 activities begin at 10 a.m. in the theater and include a stomp dance demonstration from Chikasha Hilhaꞌ Himittaꞌ followed by four short films, a filmmaker discussion and a Q&A session featuring Martin Sensmeier (Tlingit/Koyukan/Athabascan), Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw), Gus Palmer Jr. (Kiowa), Katchia and Sixkiller.
The afternoon features several films representing many genres.
Headliner Michael Spears (Lower Brulé Sioux) will participate in a Q&A session following screenings of two episodes of the History Channel documentary “Sitting Bull.”
Holbaꞌ Pisachiꞌ Native Film Festival concludes in the early evening with an opportunity for red carpet photos and autographs.
The film festival is open to the public at no cost and the schedule is subject to change.
For the past decade, Holba' Pisachi' Native Film Festival has welcomed several acclaimed First American filmmakers including: Wes Studi, director Chris Eyre, Jolie Proudfit, Ph.D., DeLanna Studi, Tatanka Means, Steven Paul Judd, Martin Sensmeier as well as John Fusco, James Landry Hébert and many others.
For more information, visit ChickasawCulturalCenter.com or call (580) 622-7130.
