Erica Tremblay

Native American film director

Erica Tremblay

Born| 1980 (age 43-44)

United States

Occupation| Film director
Years active| 2011–present
Notable work| In the Turn (2014)
Heartland: A Portrait of Survival (2012)

Erica Tremblay (born 1980) is a Native American (Seneca–Cayuga) documentary film director, based out of New York City known for her films In the Turn (2014), Heartland: A Portrait of Survival (2012) and Tiny Red Universe (2007) as well as her feature film directorial debut Fancy Dance (2023).

## Early life and career[edit]

Tremblay grew up in Seneca, Missouri, a rural community near Joplin, Missouri. In 2007, she moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.[1] While there she wrote, produced and starred in Tiny Red Universe, a short film which aired on IFC.[2]

In 2012, she released Heartland: A Portrait of Survival.[3] The film documents the effects of the 2011 Joplin tornado which destroyed a quarter of the city and caused about $2.8 billion worth of damage.[4][5] Tremblay, who was living in Los Angeles at the time but had previously lived in Joplin, had relatives still living in her hometown.[6][7] She traveled to the town with a film crew and documented the aftermath for a four-week period.[1][8] The film, which features several stories like the Joplin Found Photos project,[9] was shown at the Omaha Film Festival,[10] and at St. Louis International Film Festival.[11]

In 2014, Tremblay released In the Turn, a documentary film that revolves around a ten-year-old transgender girl from Timmins, Ontario.[12] The film began as a Kickstarter project to profile the Vagine Regime, "a queer roller derby collective," in a documentary film. Tremblay received a message from Crystal's mother that recounted the negative experiences her daughter has had in asserting her gender identity and how she is unable to participate in sports because of this. Tremblay, who herself identifies as queer, decided to refocus the documentary around Crystal.[3][12]

In 2016, Tremblay was awarded a National Artist Fellowship at the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation.[13][14] As of March, 2017, Tremblay serves as Bustle's director of video; before joining Bustle, she worked for Hearst Digital Media.[15]

In 2023, Tremblay made her feature directorial debut with the drama film Fancy Dance, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival,[16][17] and was made possible in part by the Cherokee Nation film initiative.[18][19]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Korbelik, Jeff (19 May 2012). "New documentary with Nebraska ties revisits 2011 Joplin tornado". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
2. ^ Shipman, Dustin (17 May 2007). "'Tiny' film gets big exposure". Joplin Globe. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
3. ^ a b de la Cretaz, Britni (22 November 2016). "'In the Turn' Takes Us Inside the World of Queer Roller Derby". Vice. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
4. ^ Murphy, Kevin (23 May 2017). "Tornado devastates Joplin, Missouri, 116 dead". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
5. ^ Lieb, David A. (19 May 2012). "Records show Joplin twister was costliest since 1950". Journal Star. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
6. ^ McKinney, Roger (19 May 2012). "Tornado documentary has Joplin premiere". Joplin Globe. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
7. ^ "Joplin area native premiers documentary about May 22nd EF5 tornado". KSHB. 20 May 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
8. ^ "Joplin native makes documentary about the tornado that devastated her hometown". CNN. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
9. ^ Mosbergen, Dominique (11 May 2012). "Abi Almandinger's Joplin's Found Photos Project Returns Thousands Of Photographs To Tornado Survivors". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
10. ^ Lee, Cheril (4 March 2013). "Heartland". KIOS. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
11. ^ Heuer, Alex; Edwards, Mary; Marsh, Don (15 November 2012). "New Films Document Devastation, Hope In Aftermath Of Joplin Tornado". St. Louis Public Radio. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
12. ^ a b Reid, Regan (21 May 2015). "The State of LGBT Film in 2015". Vice. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
13. ^ Schilling, Vincent (22 August 2016). "16 Native Awardees of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation for 2016". Indian Country Media Network. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
14. ^ "Native Arts, Cultures awards fellowships". Tahlequah Daily Press. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
15. ^ Grinapol, Corinne (14 March 2017). "Erica Tremblay Joins Bustle as Director of Video". Ad Week. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
16. ^ "2023 Sundance Film Festival - US Dramatic Competition - Fancy Dance". Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Institute. 2023. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
17. ^ Complex, Valerie (29 January 2023). "'Fancy Dance' Sundance Film Festival Review: Lily Gladstone Delivers A Strong Performance In Erica Tremblay's Feature Film Debut". Deadline. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
18. ^ Tramel, Jimmie (31 January 2023). "Cherokee Nation film incentive led to 'Fancy Dance' at Sundance". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
19. ^ Sellers, Caroline (31 January 2023). "Cherokee Nation film office celebrates premiere of 'Fancy Dance'". KFOR. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.