THIS WEEK’S FILMMAKER IS TREVOR SOLWAY. TREVOR IS A BLACKFOOT FILMMAKER FROM SIKSIKA NATION, AND THE FOUNDER OF THE NAPI COLLECTIVE. WE HAD THE PLEASURE OF CHATTING WITH HIM ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF STORYTELLING, HIS LATEST PROJECT, AND WHY HE LOVES MAKING FILMS IN MOHKINSITIS (CALGARY).

CSIF: Tell us about yourself; what do you do in the film industry?

TREVOR SOLWAY: Oki/Hello. My name is Trevor Solway and my blackfoot name is Sinakson (writer). I’m a Blackfoot filmmaker from Siksika Nation. These days, I’m focusing most of my time and energy on writing and directing. I like to tell stories on the contemporary experiences of Indigenous people surviving and thriving in a world that has been disrupted by colonialism. In telling those stories, I’m able to confront topics such as toxic masculinity, loss of identity and resilience.

When I’m not writing and directing my own projects, I’m mentoring young filmmakers at a grassroots filmmaking society I founded called The Napi Collective. The Napi Collective is based in Siksika Nation and we’ve made six short narrative films since 2018, all of which were written, directed, shot and edited by first time filmmakers and actors from the community. These films have gone on to screen at LA Skins in Hollywood, CA, American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, CA, and Maoriland in New Zealand.

CSIF: How did you get started in filmmaking? Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?

TS: I’ve always wanted to tell stories for a living. The creative spark I get from storytelling is like my oxygen. As an Indigenous kid growing up on the reserve, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me telling stories that represented and validated my experience as an Indigenous people living in today’s world. It was suffocating to only see Indians and cowboys, where the Indians were played by white folks with brown painted faces. The Pan-Indian, with the made up language and almost always phony headdress, died at the end of all these western films. It sent the message to me that Indians are a thing of the past, a relic, the bones of a species you visit in a museum. I decided to become a filmmaker to show that we are real people with real problems but also real goals, dreams and aspirations.

CSIF: What movie(s) inspired you to become a filmmaker?

TS: The storytellers before me. I would hear these oral traditional Blackfoot stories from my grandparents about the land, the plants, our people, the animals, the cosmos, and they all played a part in the story and would intertwine and make sense in the end like a Christopher Nolan film. Hearing these O.G Storytellers do their craft with such passion for our culture, language and beliefs, and for the sake of us, the next generation. As a filmmaker with all these tools, skills, connections, privileges, that they didn’t have, it gives me inspiration to put all my heart and spirit into each film I make.

CSIF: What kinds of stories are you interested in telling?

TS: The stories I’m interested in telling are stories that help me make sense of what it means to be an Indigenous person in today’s colonial world. I don’t mean this in a political sense or to ruffle any feathers. As Indigenous people, our world seemingly ended 152 years ago and we’re the survivors of the apocalypse and of genocide. So what does it mean for me to survive and live in a country that aimed to kill us through violence and policy? Every generation before, my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, have had to win the lottery for me to be here. As an Indigenous youth, you deal with the ugliness of poverty, addictions, racism, but also the beauty of story, songs, dance, culture. What are the stories that come from that? Stay tuned.

CSIF: What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your practice as a filmmaker so far?

TS: To be present in all stages of production. It’s easy to get ahead of yourself. When you’re writing you could be thinking about what’s best for the production rather than what’s best for the story. When directing you could be thinking about what’s best for the post rather than what’s best for the story. You are the act of these roles, not the product. You are a director not a directed. A Dine filmmaker named Shaandiin Tome told me to make creative decisions with your heart not with your head and that’s always stuck with me.

CSIF: What advice do you have for other filmmakers?

TS: My uncle would always tell me this Blackfoot word: Ah-kii-maps. “Why are you saying that?” It’s important to ask yourself why are you telling this story and for who? We can often get caught in the filmmaking craft, and navigating art and egos can sometimes alter our intentions. These stories we tell will outlive us, and we’ll never know how the generations after us will perceive what we left behind. You have to put yourself in as many moccasins as possible.

CSIF: What is the most embarrassing or funniest thing that has happened to you on set?

TS: I was at a Q&A once for a short film I made about a young man getting sober through MMA. The Q&A opened up just me and the moderator on stage in a full theatre and there awkwardly were no questions for what felt like forever. Then this old white lady put up her hand and asked me “How long have you been sober?” She must have mistaken me (the director) for the subject in my film. Little did she know I was drinking craft beer in the audience the entire time. I had a cheap buzz on and found it funny. I held the mic and looked down for a bit then smiled and replied “I’m drunk right now.” I was the only one that night who found it funny.

CSIF: Tell us about your most recent project.

TS: Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode.

This feature length documentary dives into the complexity of an Indian Cowboy from a generation long gone. I will be looking back at my late grandfather’s life, and how his lessons shaped my perceptions of masculinity, work ethic, and sacrifice in my adult life. Kaatohkitopii blends together beautifully stylized re-enactments, archival footage from my grandfather’s camcorder, and interviews with my grandfather and his children. 

I want to tell this story now because I’ve been reflecting on his recent loss, but it’s important to examine, pay respect and say goodbye to that older generation of Indian Cowboys. It offers Indigenous audiences a chance to learn, appreciate and forgive their grandfathers. It’s a very unique generation that will never happen again, and I want to explore the intersectionality between the stoic masculine cowboys of the past and the “woke” progressive men of our time.

CSIF: Any final thoughts/words regarding filmmaking/being a filmmaker in Calgary?

TS: I wouldn’t make films anywhere else. I draw my creative inspiration and power from my ancestral homeland. We have stories tied to landmarks here in Mohkinsitis (Calgary) that explain the roots beneath your feet and the stars above your head and everything special and living in between. There is an abundance of stories, creativity, inspiration and talent here in Blackfoot Territory, and this is where I always want to make films.

CSIF: What is a film that you wish you made and why?

TS: Every John Wayne and John Ford movie.

Favourite movie: Boy, written and directed by Taika Waititi

Favourite movie snack: Reese’s Pieces baby

Facebook: Trevor Solway

Instagram: TrevorTheCreator

Twitter: TrevorSolwayENT

Website: www.blackfootnationfilms.com