Native Film Talk

About Native Film Talk

Hello! Welcome to Native Film Talk! The purpose of this podcast is to explore Native representation in film from the perspective of a Native, me. Native American representation in film is as old as the film industry itself, so there is a plethora of content available for review. I plan to watch movies, tv shows, and documentaries from the old westerns, i.e. The Searchers, The Outlaw Josey Wales, to more modern box office hits, Wind River, Hostiles, Magnificent Seven. Also I'd like to explore film that are from the Native perspective, i.e. Smoke Signals, Skins, Indian Horse, The Fast Runner. During this journey I will do research and dedicate an episode per film. I hope on this journey to gain a better understanding of what appropriate representation means to me. I realize my palate will change through the course of this podcast and I hope yours does as well! Overall, the image of the Native American in film has changed in a lot of ways, in others it has not. There have been attempts to mature from the stoic indian, noble savage, and white savior but we also see modern instanaces where those stereotypes continue to be perpetuated. Also there is encouraging signs that we are heading in the right direction, with movies like Indian Horse, that recant accurate experiences of Native people in history. Also tv shows like Molly From Denali that show a positive image of native people on television while being accurate to the tribe being represented in the show. I'm excited for this journey and hopefully will have some great guests join me along the way. Thank you and happy listening!

Publisher

Ian Allison

Category

tv & film · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

1 Oct 2020

Latest episode

3 Mar 2025

Latest episodes

60 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Mar 2025

   Rezball

   Let's talk about Rezball! Produced by Lebron James and documents a story of the Chuska Warriors losing their star player to suicide. The team and community finds a way to rally around their culture, language, and each other to succeed. On paper this sounds fantastic, however I dive into some positives and negatives. In particular, the use of Native mascots, Navajo language spoken by non-Navajos, and I criticize the making of another sad Native story.

2. 

   24 Feb 2025

   Why I Stopped Making Episodes

   I talk about why I stopped making podcast episodes. Short story is I didn't like the content that was coming out, despite the fact that there was seemingly a lot of it and it was received positivtely by Native audiences. I talk about Killers of the Flower Moon, Rezball, Yellowstone Series ending, and state of Native cinema. Hope you all enjoy the return! I'll make another episode soon. Talk to you later.

3. 

   26 Jan 2024

   Echo

   Back again with a episode on Marvel's Echo. My friend Chris joins me to talk about Maya Lopez's journey back to her community in season 1 of Echo. We discuss why this is important for Native representation, specifically for women. I had a great time discussing how badass Alaqua Cox is as Maya and how much we are looking forward to another season. There isn't much I didn't like about this show, it's easy to like and does a lot for Native representation. Listen as we share our thoughts. Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter: @nativefilmtalk. Like, subscribe, and let me know what you think of the show at www.nativefilmtalk.com

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

20,074

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

56 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 66 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

82

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

51

Contact Native Film Talk

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.