Litefoot Makes Directorial Debut With Award-Winning Short Film "Strong Hearts"
LOS ANGELES (November 7, 2022) – STRONG HEARTS: AN INDIGENOUS LOVE LETTER TO MY SONS, the directorial debut of famed indigenous actor Gary “Litefoot” Davis (SPIRIT RANGERS, THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD, SONG OF HIAWATHA, HOUSE OF CARDS), has been selected to screen at several 2022 festivals, including Edmonton International, San Diego International, Santa Monica International, Portland, Berlin Short, ARFF Amsterdam, Manhattan and many others. The film’s Los Angeles premiere will be November 20, 2022 at the TCL Chinese Theatres as part of the Los Angeles Skins Film Festival.
STRONG HEARTS has already been honored with an Impact Docs Awards “Award of Excellence” and a silver “Remi” award from the 55th Annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival.
Produced by IndigiStudios, Davis’ new Indigenous-owned and operated production company, STRONG HEARTS expresses an Indigenous father’s wisdom and guidance for his three young sons. Davis co-founded IndigiStudios with his wife Carmen, a well-known indigenous business leader and organizer of the “Reach the Rez” project, which still stands as the single largest national outreach effort aimed at positively impacting hundreds of Tribal nations across Indian Country.
Davis, a member of the Cherokee Nation and a passionate advocate for Indigenous people, approaches the story from the heart, crafting a powerful and emotional message.
“I asked myself, if I only had a few moments left on this earth to share with my boys, what would I say? What life experiences would I share with them as young indigenous men? What lessons would they benefit from? The answer resonates broadly. For me there is nothing as parents that we can give our children more important than love, and through that the confidence and tenacity to seek their calling in life,” Davis says.
The film is the first release from IndigiStudios, which has a diverse development slate of fast-tracked projects ranging from an epic film about the life of an iconic indigenous leader to a full-length documentary tracking a nationwide musical concert tour to hundreds of indigenous communities encapsulating both the evolving progress and ongoing struggles of tribes throughout the United States (currently in post-production).
Davis’ voice acting talents are featured in the role of Qamash in the newly released children’s adventure animated series Spirit Rangers on Netflix. He was recently featured by Amazon alongside Sitting Bull, Maria Tallchief, and Jim Thorpe in a Native American History Month tribute, as well as by GoDaddy in an Indigenous entrepreneurship spotlight. Davis has also been recognized by Scholastic Books in its “Native American Heroes.”
IndigiStudios is a 100% owned and operated Indigenous film and production company, focused on a slate of theatrical, episodic, and documentary projects, all centered around the company’s mission to reclaim the Indigenous narrative in film and television. Beyond dramas, we will strive to tell fun and fantastical stories, aspiring to create impactful films in every genre – from action to romance to documentaries and comedy.
