Sundance Institute

Institute History

Description

If there’s one person Victor Joseph doesn’t want to have accompany him when he sets out from the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation to retrieve his father’s ashes, it’s Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Thomas tells endless stories, and many of them aren’t even true. But Thomas has money, and Victor doesn’t. Their journey not only forges a lasting bond between these young men “born of flame and ash,” but what Victor discovers enables him to finally forgive his father for deserting the family.

Smoke Signals marked a major milestone as the first film written and directed by Native Americans. It also announced the arrival of a generation of Native filmmakers and fulfilled Sundance Institute’s lifelong commitment to supporting them.

Adam Beach and Evan Adams head a Native American cast that couldn’t be better. Smoke Signals won the dramatic Audience Award at the 1998 Sundance FIlm Festival.

Thanks to Miramax for providing the 35mm print for this special 20th-anniversary screening.

— B.B.

Screening Details

Section: From the Collection
Film Type: Dramatic Feature
Country: U.S.A.
Run Time: 89 min.

Credits

Actor
Screenwriter
- Sherman Alexie
Production Designer
- Charles Armstrong
Editor
- Brian Berdan
Executive Producer
- Carl Bressler
- David Skinner
Director of Photography
- Brian Capener
Producer
- Larry Estes
- Scott Rosenfelt
Director
- Chris Eyre
Music
- BC Smith

As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]