Buffalo Nickel Creative Announces Venture Into Narrative Fiction

Buffalo Nickel Creative, a dynamic production company and creative agency widely recognized for its high-impact documentary, commercial, and design work, is making a monumental leap into the narrative filmmaking space with its first fiction film project, Dead Bird Hearts

This project marks a significant new chapter for the company, establishing its commitment to producing original, compelling stories from unique Indigenous perspectives.

A Vision Led by Indigenous Talent

Dead Bird Hearts is a poignant and evocative narrative centered on a story between an incompetent Indigenous man and his dog after being made homeless after a break up. The film will explore themes of identity, purpose and belonging - themes that resonate strongly within the wider indigenous community.

The project was written, and will be directed by Ryan Redcorn of the Osage Nation. Redcorn is a celebrated photographer and graphic designer and respected voice in contemporary Indigenous media, notably serving as a writer on the critically acclaimed Hulu series, Reservation Dogs. He co-founded the 1491s, an all Indigenous comedy troupe, with Sterlin Harjo (Showrunner and Co-Creator – Reservation Dogs), Migizi Pensoneau (writer/producer Reservation Dogs), Bobby Wilson (writer, story editor, actor Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls), and Dallas Goldtooth (writer, actor Reservation Dogs– Rutherford Falls actor).

Ryan Redcorn and Joseph Brown Thunder of Buffalo Nickel Creative

Producing the film is Joseph Brown Thunder of the Wisconsin Ho-chunk and Lakota Oglala of Pine Ridge in South Dakota, a veteran in the production sphere who brings a wealth of experience to Buffalo Nickel Creative's inaugural narrative venture.

Fostering Growth Through International Collaboration

In a strategic move to build capacity and global perspective within the indigenous film community, Buffalo Nickel Creative has engaged internationally acclaimed Singaporean Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong for the project.

While Hong is not Indigenous, his involvement is deliberate and crucial to the company's mission and future goals. Buffalo Nickel Creative is focused on opening up international talent pipelines to expose its burgeoning Native crew to diverse external ideas, techniques, and world-class standards.

"Our goal is not just to make films, but to develop and train a new generation of Native talent in all aspects of filmmaking," says Brown Thunder.

"We can't achieve that without exposing ourselves to the highest external standards and ideas. Collaborating with Justin, a Cinematographer with an robust body of work in the narrative space, is a conscious step toward elevating the craft and our people within the Native world."

Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong

Production Set for Early 2022

Principal photography for Dead Bird Hearts is expected to begin in January 2022. The film will be shot in Pawhuska Oklahoma. The town just came off being the backdrop of the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Killers Of The Flower Moon.

The production expects that about 95% of the entire team and crew will be comprised of indigenous people.