‘Strong Hearts’ Screens at Multiple Film Festivals; Premieres at Los Angeles’ TCL Chinese Theatres
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.
Following the premiere, the film will be released online with a livestream event hosted by Gary and Carmen Davis (Executive Producers) and featuring Quannah, Sequoyah, and Qwnuseia Davis, who appear in the movie. All participants will discuss the film and answer questions. The livestream will take place on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:00 pm EST and will be broadcast across Litefoot’s social media channels.
Inspired by the words of the renowned Lakota chief, Crazy Horse, STRONG HEARTS is a visual love letter delivered with raw vulnerable narration. The film conveys a message of strength, beauty, and power from a father to his young sons, imploring them to live a life of purpose. The boys are reminded of their ancestors’ struggles and implored to fight for their purpose, cherish their cultural teachings and to not let anyone define them. Filmed on location at battlefields where Crazy Horse fought, historical happenings become the perfect classroom for teaching lessons of gratitude, resolve, humility and love.
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.
