- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba,
host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Tonight, we bring you a documentary
that tells an all too common story for Native Americans.
A young man leaves the pain of his childhood on the reservation
to find himself.
He moves to the big city,
but is eventually drawn back to the reservation
and his loved ones.
Such is the case for tonight's main character
in the film Without Arrows.
Delwin Fiddler, Jr. moved from South Dakota
to the city of Philadelphia.
He found success after opening a dance studio
where he taught Native American dance.
Delwin's talents took him all over the world
to showcase his art.
He had come such a long way from his youth on the reservation,
which was filled with trauma
and the remnants of what became a broken family.
Despite fulfilling his dreams
and more or less conquering the big city on his own,
Fiddler could not escape the draw of family,
namely his mother,
who had always longed for Delwin to continue family traditions
and embrace the reservation.
Through the film, we get an in-depth, intimate look
at this Lakota family,
who lost their son, then welcomed him home.
Without Arrows is co-directed by Jonathan Olshefski
and Elizabeth Day.
Olshefski met Delwin in Philadelphia
and the two became friends.
Olshefski was fascinated by Delwin's story,
but didn't think there was enough for a feature film.
But he took a chance and turned on his camera anyway,
thinking maybe he would make a short.
It was when Delwin moved back to the reservation in South Dakota
that the story completely opened up,
paving the way for a feature-length film.
The director had great footage
and was connecting with his Native American actors,
but he still felt the project was lacking authenticity.
He knew that as a white guy from Philadelphia,
he needed someone to help him better navigate
the Native American elements of the story.
More specifically, he knew
he needed a Native Indigenous filmmaker to partner up with.
Enter co-director Elizabeth Day,
who Olshefski found through public television connections.
Day is a member of Minnesota's Ojibwe nation.
She responded immediately
to the beautiful footage Olshefski had already captured
in South Dakota on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe reservation.
Day used her own parents as a barometer
for what Olshefski had filmed.
Having Indigenous approval so close to home
made Day feel they really had something special.
Together, the directors were able to capture
not only beautiful photography, but also inspiring scenes
like Delwin teaching young children to dance
on the reservation.
The scenes of this world traveler
and successful businessman
embracing his roots and dancing with the next generation
on his reservation,
combined with an intense soundtrack,
provided uplifting scenes.
Olshefski, Day, and Delwin spent a total of 13 years
on this film.
I can't even imagine how long it took to edit.
Sit back and relax, folks, and let's watch together a film
about family that aims to break down
Native American stereotypes.
Without Arrows starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.