A Native American woman and a Black man walk into a bar taking refuge from the “die-in” protests at Grand Central over police brutality. With the pub deserted and the bartender strangely absent, these two strangers have their run of the place. But as the liquor starts to flow, so do some inconvenient truths. Glenburn 12 WP was selected for the 2022 Vision Maker Media Creative Shorts Fellowship fund to emerging Native filmmakers and their film mentorships. The film aims to bring awareness to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. Roberta, an urban Mohawk woman living in New York City, blames herself when her best friend from the reservation goes missing after a visit. On the day the body is found, Roberta returns to her favorite watering hole to confront her #1 suspect. Instead, she finds an idealistic young black man who is taking a break from the BLM protests, and they bond over loss, being brown in America, and a very particular bottle of whiskey.
Tanis Parenteau, Producer is a Native American (Métis/Cree) actor/producer. As an actor, she has appeared on Billions, FBI: Most Wanted, Gossip Girl, Designated Survivor, House of Cards and Tribal. New York theatre: The Public Theater, Signature Theater, 59E59 Theaters and La Mama. Regional: Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As a producer, she focuses on decolonizing the entertainment space by uplifting contemporary Native stories by Native writers, smashing harmful Indigenous stereotypes and creating opportunities for Native people above and below the line. Her debut short film, ‘A Big Black Space‘ had its broadcast premiere on ARTÉ in Europe, she is currently developing multiple Native-led series and features and is a Vision Maker Media Creative Shorts Fellow. Tanis is on the SAG-AFTRA National Native Americans Committee, member of the North American Indigenous Center of New York, Tribal Liaison at AlterTheater and Casting Associate at Tbd Casting Co. Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The New School for Drama. www.tanisparenteau.com
Vickie Ramirez, Writer/Director is Tuscarora from Six Nations of the Grand River. She is a founding member of Chukalokoli Theater. Her work has been developed and/or produced at Native Voices at the Autry, Alter Theater, The Public Theater, The Roundabout Theatre Company, and Labyrinth Theater Company. Honors: Resident-New Dramatists through 2027, Winner-2020 Smith Prize for Political Theater (NNPN), The Kilroys-Honorary Mention 2019 for Pure Native and 2014 for Standoff At Hwy#37, Semi-finalist-Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2019, Semi-finalist Eugene O’Neill National Playwright’s Conference 2018, Alumna-Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group (2009). Productions: Pure Native – Alter Theater (Summer 2022) and Native Voices at the Autry, Standoff at Hwy#37 – NV Autry and the University of South Dakota, Glenburn 12 WP – Summer Shorts at 59E59, Smoke – Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group at Pershing Square Signature Center. Published: Monologues for Actors of Color: Women, Monologues for Actors of Color: Men and Contemporary Plays by Women of Color Edition 2: (Routledge Press), Glenburn 12 WP – Short Plays: Vol 1 (TRW press). Member: Dramatists Guild, PEN America Consultant: Outer Range for Amazon TV.
Yvonne Russo, Mentor is an award-winning producer, director, and writer of film and television specializing in inspirational Indigenous and cross-cultural stories. As an independent producer, Russo has worked on a diverse range of productions in over 16 countries from Rajasthan, India, to the East African Nation of Rwanda. She is currently directing, Ring of Fire: The Life of Annie Mae Aquash and currently in post-production on VIVA VERDI!. Recent credits include Woman Walks Ahead, the HBO mini-series, Lewis and Clark and Rescuers: Heroes of the Holocaust. She’s a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Co-Chair of the Producers Guild of America Diversity Committee. She is also a Sundance Institute Lab Fellow, Tribeca All Access Program Fellow and is on the board of The Language Conservancy, which works to revitalize endangered languages. She’s a contributing author for The Huffington Post and Produced By Magazine. Yvonne Russo is a member of the Sicangu Lakota Tribal Nation.
