‘Stories We Have Earned’: Documentary highlights Stoney Nakoda contributions in film

Stories We Have Earned: The Stoney Nakoda Film Project aims to set the record straight on disrespectful depictions of Indigenous people in Hollywood productions

From Marilyn Monroe and Paul Newman to Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, Hollywood’s biggest stars have come to Alberta to make movies.

Their co-stars? The Stoney Nakoda people, whose roles in the films have been largely overlooked.

Stories We Have Earned: The Stoney Nakoda Film Project looks at the more than 30 films that have been shot on Stoney Nakoda land over the years.

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“It’s a fascinating part of Alberta film history, even just cinematic history,” producer Gary Burns told CTV News.

The documentary includes interviews with Stoney Nakoda elders who worked on films such as Little Big Man starring Dustin Hoffman.

“My dad, my aunty, my grandparents were all part of these films,” said director Cody Lefthand, a member of the Eden Valley Bearspaw First Nation.

• Watch the full interview in the video player above

Stories We Have Earned will be shown Thursday, Feb. 27, to Sunday, March 2, at Calgary’s Globe Cinema.