SAG-AFTRA

Fall / Winter 2022

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sagaftra.org | Fall/Winter 2022 | SAG-AFTRA 61 T he post-lockdown entertainment industry continues to sort out what stories draw the largest numbers in theaters and which stories promise first-place streaming — but one thing has become clear: Native American actors and content are pulling in record-breaking ratings and topping critics' lists around the world. It only took three days for director Dan Trachtenberg's sophomore project, Prey, to shatter Hulu audience numbers in August to become the most-watched content in the history of the service, which debuted in 2007. By October, the film set new world records on both Hulu and Disney Plus and the sci-fi action film doesn't seem to be slowing down, pulling in millions of new viewers across Latin America and Europe. Released this summer, the origin story prequel to 1987's Predator is now the best-reviewed film in the franchise, and might be its most unique, chronicling a seek-and-destroy battle between the nefarious predatory alien and an Indigenous tribe living 300 years ago. Notably, it was produced by Comanche and Blackfeet filmmaker Jhane Myers and is the first film ever to offer a version fully dubbed in the Comanche language of Nu munuu. (Hulu has both English and Comanche versions available.) Many believe this type of success occurs, in part, due to the dominance of streaming platforms over the last decade — a boom elevated by the pandemic lockdown — that allows small screens (TV, phone and otherwise) to offer even more diverse theatrical-caliber content, especially for voices that have historically struggled for representation. Native actors and storytellers are taking advantage of Past and current onscreen Native representations. 1. Graham Greene, Dances with Wolves (1990); 2. Dakota Beavers, Prey (2022); 3. Kiowa Gordon, Dark Winds (2022–); 4. Justin Johnson Cortez, Walker Independence (2022–); 5. Kelsey Asbille, Yellowstone (2018–); 6. Julia Jones, Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022); 7. Amber Midthunder, Prey (2022); 8. Will Sampson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975); 9. Wes Studi, Comanche Moon (2008); 10. Jessica Matten, Dark Winds (2022–); 11. Chief Dan George, Little Big Man (1970). 1. ORION PICTURES CORPORATION/PHOTOFEST; 2. DAVID BUK ACH/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS; 3&10. MICHAEL MORIATIS/STALWART PRODUCTIONS/AMC; 4. BRIAN HIGBEE/THE CW; 5. CAM MCLEOD/PARAMOUNT NETWORK; 6. SEACIA PAVAO/SHOWTIME; 7. DAVID BUKACH/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS; 8. UNITED ARTISTS; 9. CBS; 11. MEL TRAXEL, ERNST HAAS/NATIONAL GENERAL PICTURES 8 9 10 11

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