Scene 2 Seen Podcast: Filmmakers Jesse Short Bull And Laura Tomaselli Discuss Their Documentary ‘Lakota Nation Vs. The United States’ And The Ongoing Battle For Sacred Land Between The Two

Valerie Complex
·2-min read

Hello, and welcome to the Scene to Seen Podcast. I am Valerie Complex Associate editor and film writer at Deadline.

Today, we’re talking to  directors Jesse Short Bull, and Laura Tomaselli about their new film Lakota Nation vs. The United States. Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei serve as executive producers, while Benjamin Hedin and Phil Pinto serve as producers.

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It is the most sacred place on earth, the birthplace of the Lakota that has shaped thought, identity and philosophy for the Očéti Šakówiŋ since time immemorial–the life-giving land known as the Black Hills. Yet with the arrival of the first Europeans in 1492, the sacred land has been the site of conflict between the people it has nurtured, and the settler state seeking to exploit and redefine it in its own image.

This documentary is a searing testament to the strength of the Oyate and a visually stunning rejoinder to the distorted image of a people long shaped by Hollywood. Lakota Nation vs. United States is a lyrical and provocative testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation and genocide–and whose best days are yet to come.

Jesse Short Bull, Director, wrote and produced the 2013 short Istinma, set in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of South Dakota. A graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts, Short Bull received a 2016 Sundance Institute Native American and Indigenous Program Development Grant and also attended the Creative Producing Summit at Sundance. In 2014 he was part of the effort to change the name of Shannon County to Oglala Lakota County in South Dakota. Currently employed by the Oglala Lakota tribal government, Short Bull is a member of the board of the Black Hills Film Festival. With the First Peoples Fund he leads youth filmmaking workshops in the Oglala Lakota Nation.

Laura Tomaselli, director and editor has credits spanning narrative, documentary, and commercial projects. Most recently, she edited the documentary features MLK/FBI and Surge as well as the nonfiction shorts Feathers and Lowland Kids. For her work on MLK/FBI Tomaselli received a Cinema Eye Award Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Editing. Her films have screened at Sundance, SXSW, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Toronto International Film Festival.

On this episode, talk to the directors about the documentary editing process, working with Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei, and the ongoing battle for land between the Lakota Nation and the United States.

If you like what you hear on today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, and iHeart. 

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