Blackfoot Nation Films presents the premiere of their highly anticipated APTN lumi Original, Tales from the Rez. The series debuts today at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto with writer/director Trevor Solway (Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode), producer Colin Van Loon (This is Not a Ceremony) and cast including Cody Lightning (Hey Viktor!) in attendance. The series will start streaming across Canada on APTN lumi today.
Tales from the Rez is a horror-comedy anthology series that breathes life into popular Blackfoot urban legends. Guided by Uncle Randolf, an Elder with one foot in the living world and one foot in the spirit world, the series presents unique screen adaptations of these stories. Each episode blends humor and spine-chilling suspense to offer a new twist on age-old tales. The series features Eugene Brave Rock (Wonder Woman), actor and experimental pop/rock band Ghostkeeper frontman Shane Ghostkeeper (Parallel Minds), Shayla Stonechild (Siren), Michelle Thrush (Bones of Crows), Joel Oulette (Trickster), Nathan Alexis (Trickster), Cody Lightning (Smoke Signals) and newcomer Charles Duck Chief as Rez Keeper Uncle Randolph.
The initial season takes place in the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy also known as Southern Alberta, Treaty 7. Subsequent seasons will travel to other Indigenous communities around the globe. Tales from the Rez won the Audience Choice Award at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival. The series earned recognition as a finalist in the 2019 imagineNATIVE/APTN Web Series Pitch Competition—and the recognition the team has received—highlights the diversity of Indigenous talent within digital media, both on-screen and behind the camera.
Tales from the Rez is written and directed by Trevor Solway (Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode), Produced by Colin Van Loon (Blackfoot Nation Films) and Associate producer Jessica Matten (Dark Winds) Director of Photography is Aaron Bernakevitch (True West: The John Scott Story).
Tales from the Rez was made possible with the support of the Bell Fund, Indigenous Screen Office, and APTN lumi.
Images provided by Nicola Pender
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