Viva Van Story
Gary Breckheimer
Susana Clark, Vestige Photography
Rames Xelhuantzi
Joseph Marancca
Andrea Grant is a writer, model, and multimedia artist of
mixed-blood Coast Salish Native American ancestry.
Her artistic reputation comes from a unique melding of mythological stories, poems, photography, video, spoken word audio, and live performances designed to create a dynamic expression that can be understood on many levels. Throughout, her work is deeply infused by her First Nations heritage, where she often weaves together traditional Coast Salish legends and classic fairytales which are infused with multicultural and feminist influences. Themes include juxtaposition, mythology, the contradictions of modern womanhood, and what it means specifically to be a “Modern Native” in the digital age.
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Night Swimming : Spoken Word Film
“Night Swimming” is written from Andrea Grant’s perspective as a mixed-blood First Nations Native American woman. The various elements of water are an allegory for the emotional range of women. It’s about feeling an intense connection to the power of the ocean, the rain and storms, and an appreciation of how Mother Earth bestows her gifts when we need them most. It’s also about how we heal. How swimming in the ocean can be cleansing, or how a thunderstorm feels incredibly satisfying when one is going through a romantic break-up. It’s also about the exhilaration of dancing in the rain, listening to your intuition, and honoring the voices of the ancestors that speak to us.
“Night Swimming” is currently making its way through the film festival circuit. So far, it has won 3 Awards of Recognition in The Best Shorts Film Competition for On-Camera Talent for my performance, Native Peoples, and Women Filmmakers. It also won 2 Awards of Merit in The Best Shorts Film Competition for Music Video and Experimental.
“Night Swimming” was a Finalist at the Prague International Music Video Awards, received a Special Mention from the U.K. Animation and Music Video Festival, and won Semi-Finalist Awards at the New York International Women Festival, Seattle Filmmaker Awards, San Francisco Arthouse Short Festival, and Tokyo Shorts in the categories of Best Short Film on Women and Best Music Video. The film was shown at the Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival, L.A. Sun Film Fest, Chicago Indie Film Awards, Kalakari Film Awards. It also won for Best Make-Up at San Francisco Arthouse Short Festival.
Modern Native : Spoken Word Film
“The bones of my ancestors burned beneath my ankles, and there was a certain amount of regret. Their lost tales ignited the air: “Speak for us, for we have no voice…”
The spoken word film “Modern Native” by Andrea Grant is about storytelling and the duality within Native Americans of mixed-blood who have been brought up learning both traditional myths and western fairytales equally. It’s about honoring your tribe and where you’re from, and finding empowerment within your origins as you face up to life’s challenges and take control of your destiny, realizing why you ended up on a certain mythological journey.
It’s about how tribal myths are taught and learned throughout the generations. In many ways, the current shift from the print to the digital medium is a reminder of how so many First Nation stories have gotten lost in the transition from oral history to print. There’s an urgent need to share those narratives with the world in a contemporary, accessible format, such as film.
“Modern Native” was nominated for Best Music Video by the 45th Annual American Indian & Indigenous Film Festival and premiered as an Official Selection at the Annual American Indian Film Festival, L.A. Skins Fest, Dam Short Film Festival, Venice Shorts Film Awards, Chicago Indie Film Festival, the Berlin Movie Awards, L.A. Sun Film Fest, Santa Monica Shorts, Austin Film Festival, Amsterdam Short Film Festival, Toronto International Women Film Festival, Toronto Indie Shorts, San Francisco Indie Short Festival, New York International Women Festival, Cannes Cinema Festival, and the Vancouver Independent Film Festival.
The film won Best Experimental Short at the Arthouse Festival of Beverly Hills and L.A. Independent Film Channel, and was a Finalist at the Austin Film Festival, Hong Kong Indie Film Festival, San Francisco Indie Short Festival, Dubai Independent Film Festival, New York International Women Festival, the Washington Film Awards, Paris International Short Festival, and the Vancouver Independent Film Festival.
“Modern Native” has also been screened at the prestigious “Never Apart” Gallery in Montreal, Canada.