Istinma/to rest

istinma / to rest

Narrative Short/8min/2013

Filmed entirely on the Oglala Lakota Nation and Blackhills of South Dakota, Istinma (To Rest) is a narrative short film about a Lakota man reconciling with his father on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

A Good Medicine Picture Company Production

Directed by: Andres Torres-Vives

Producer: James Q. Chan

Executive Producer: Kevin Killer

Written by: Andres Torres-Vives, Jesse Short Bull

Director of Photography: Paul de Lumen

Assistant Director: Maris Curran

Editor: Kevin N. Bailey

Casting: Rene Haynes, CSA

Lakota Lullaby: Shawn Little Thunder

Camera: Red Epic

FESTIVALS & SCREENINGS (partial list)

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Showcase

American Indian Film Festival WINNER, BEST NARRATIVE SHORT

Talking Stick Film Festival

Durango Film Festival

Lakota Film Festival

San Diego Film Festival

Film Independent Showcase

Black Hills Film Festival

Vision Maker Film Festival

LA Native American Skins Fest WINNER, BEST NARRATIVE SHORT

CAST

Scott S. Means (Imprint, Lakota Woman, Crazy Horse) is Hopi and Lakota Indian and deeply rooted in both cultures. Scott appeared in two films with his father, Russell Means, The Last of the Mohicans and Wind River. In addition to performing on stage, screen, and radio, Scott is the Program Coordinator for ATEYAPI, a middle school program helping urban Indian youth empower themselves by mentoring through cultural perspectives. He resides in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Scott on Istinma/To Rest and his role:

“This film is part of a larger conversation that’s happening in Indian country. A lot of men are pulling themselves up, pulling each other up. It added more meaning to the role for me, it also added more meaning to my life, it helped me connect more with my father.

“Lakota story telling was always open-ended, it always let the listener figure what the story is or what the lessons were. It encourages the listener to dialogue or think for themselves. That’s the true Lakota storytelling and that’s how this film leaves people.”

Milo Yellow Hair (Skins, The Spirit of Crazy Horse) is a fullblood Oglala Lakota Sioux. In addition to his film work, Milo is an activist, historian, and former tribal vice-president. An AIM Member and Wounded Knee 1973 Veteran, for nearly four decades, Milo has dedicated his life as an advocate for political justice, social change and environmental preservation and has traveled the world informing and educating other cultures about Native American history and customs. On Pine Ridge, he assists families and youth with the organization of over 200 community-based gardens, and has been involved with advocacy efforts against the contamination of local aquifers from uranium mining in the Black Hills, which studies suggest are contributing to health issues on the reservation. Milo lives in Pine Ridge Reservation with his wife Moniek.

Milo on istinma/to rest and his role:

“The reasons why I wanted to be a part of the film was to scratch below the surface of the "finely feathered Chief" attacking wagon trains and carrying off white women. Looking at what makes an Indian drink, examining what happens to the family structure while trying to accommodate the demands of the dominant society, the human cost of it all. To reignite the light at the end of the tunnel we need to understand where we came from.”