Walk with Pride, Santa Fe Indian Market Haute Fashion Show documentary (short film)
Wins Regional Emmy
On Saturday, September 19th, 2020 “Walk with Pride,” a short documentary about the popular Indigenous Fashion Show at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), was awarded a Rocky Mountain Regional Emmy in the category of Special Event Coverage. The six-minute film was created by videographer Kaela Waldstein of Mountain Mover Media, who worked with SWAIA’s Fashion Show producer Amber-Dawn Bear Robe to highlight the stories behind the featured designers.
According to Bear Robe, “The show highlights Indigenous fashion designers who look to their cultural past to create clothing, jewelry, and accessories that embody the essence of ancestral memory while creative innovative designs representing the now.” In the film, Bear Robe provides an overview of the misconceptions surrounding Indigenous Art and the problematic nature of terms like “traditional” and “authentic” as well as how the show allows a platform for Indigenous designers to express themselves without the limitations that historically have defined them.
Included Indigenous designers are Jamie Okuma, Sho Sho Esquiro, Cody Sanderson, Maya Stewart, Yolanda Skelton, Shane Watson, Decontie & Brown, Pamela Baker, and Adrian Standing Elk Pinnecoose. Along with interviews with some of these designers, models and attendees also lend their voices, and there is a glimpse of World Champion Hoop Dancer Nakotah LaRance’s opening performance. Stunning and vibrant imagery of models walking down the runway wearing each of the designers’ work is shown throughout the video.
Before “Walk with Pride” was submitted for consideration to the Regional Emmys, the film made the rounds in the film festival circuit with 14 screenings across the U.S. Walk with Pride won awards for Best Documentary at Fashion Film Festival Chicago and New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase and was nominated for awards at the Seattle International Film Festival and Borderscene Film Festival.
In 2020, because a large in-person event was not possible, SWAIA and Bear Robe worked with Waldstein to create a virtual fashion event – a series of intimate bio-pics about seven Indigenous Designers, plus a pre-recorded intimate show of local designer Orlando Dugi’s 2020 capsule collection. The video streamed at this year’s Virtual Indian Market to great fanfare.
Bear Robe and Waldstein are currently applying for grants to produce additional films around the theme of how Indigenous designers of today are incorporating contemporary elements into their designs as they honor their cultural heritage(s).
Press release and information courtesy of Amber-Dawn Bear Robe and Kaela Waldstein
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