Ku Stevens, 18, has the skill and drive to become an elite runner. But he struggles to navigate the sport’s glorified individualism and the values of interconnectedness he was brought up with on the Paiute reservation. When thousands of Native children’s remains are discovered, Ku learns of his family’s painful history which forces him to reimagine his identity. In an act of reverence, Ku runs the same 50-mile escape route his great-grandfather used to flee an Indian boarding school at age 8. Remaining Native is a coming-of-age story that intertwines a dark history with the hopeful journey of one teenager running towards his future.

Credits

DIRECTED BY PAIGE BETHMANN
PRODUCED BY JESSICA EPSTEIN AND PAIGE BETHMANN
PRODUCER: JUDD EHRLICH
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: BILLY MILLS (OGLALA LAKOTA, SIOUX), ANDREA MEDITCH, TRACY RECTOR, WENDY ETTINGER
IN ASSOCIATION WITH: THE DENOVO INITIATIVE, RANDOMGOOD FOUNDATION
EDITOR: STEPHANIE KHOURY

Links

Mediamaker Fellowship

2023

Project Stage

Complete

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