Georgina Lightning
Encyclopedia
Georgina Lightning is a Native American film director, screen-writer, and actress. Lightning was born in Edmonton, Canada, and is a Mushwatchees Cree, registered with the Samson Band of the Hobbema Indian Reservation near Edmonton. She was raised off of the reservation.
In 2007 she was featured in Filmmaker Magazine
as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film. In 2010 she was the recipient of the "White House Project- Epic-Award for Emerging Artist".
She co-founded Tribal Alliance Productions, partnering with executive producer Audrey Martinez, as a means to create opportunities for Native Indian and Indigenous filmmakers.
In 2008 she directed, wrote, and starred in the supernatural thriller film: Older Than America
. As such, she became the first Native American female director of a feature-length film. The film has won several awards from various film contests, including Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor.
The idea for the film came from her personal exploration of her father's past. Her father, who occasionally had violent outbursts, had been quite silent toward her about his childhood. When she was 18, he committed suicide. This event later launched her on an exploratory quest, attempting to find out more about her father's elusive childhood. In the course of her explorations of her father's past, she found herself visiting the Native American boarding school that her father had attended as a boy and noticing the oddly large cemetery behind the school, with the names of so many of its young students etched onto the silent headstones. From this very difficult experience, the concept for the film emerged. The film was shot primarily at the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
in Minnesota.
She is an outspoken advocate of Native American causes, working to restore a greater common appreciation and awareness of the intrinsic value of Native American culture to society in general. Her three children are either currently or previously performing actors. They are Crystle Lightning
, Cody Lightning
, and William Lightning.
In 2007 she was featured in Filmmaker Magazine
Filmmaker Magazine
Filmmaker is a quarterly publication magazine covering issues relating to independent film. The magazine was founded in 1992 by Karol Martesko-Fenster, Scott Macaulay and Holly Willis...
as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film. In 2010 she was the recipient of the "White House Project- Epic-Award for Emerging Artist".
She co-founded Tribal Alliance Productions, partnering with executive producer Audrey Martinez, as a means to create opportunities for Native Indian and Indigenous filmmakers.
In 2008 she directed, wrote, and starred in the supernatural thriller film: Older Than America
Older Than America (film)
Older Than America is an independently produced award winning film directed by Native American director/actress Georgina Lightning, originally released in 2008...
. As such, she became the first Native American female director of a feature-length film. The film has won several awards from various film contests, including Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor.
The idea for the film came from her personal exploration of her father's past. Her father, who occasionally had violent outbursts, had been quite silent toward her about his childhood. When she was 18, he committed suicide. This event later launched her on an exploratory quest, attempting to find out more about her father's elusive childhood. In the course of her explorations of her father's past, she found herself visiting the Native American boarding school that her father had attended as a boy and noticing the oddly large cemetery behind the school, with the names of so many of its young students etched onto the silent headstones. From this very difficult experience, the concept for the film emerged. The film was shot primarily at the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota near Cloquet in Carlton and St. Louis counties, with off-reservation holdings in Douglas County in Wisconsin...
in Minnesota.
She is an outspoken advocate of Native American causes, working to restore a greater common appreciation and awareness of the intrinsic value of Native American culture to society in general. Her three children are either currently or previously performing actors. They are Crystle Lightning
Crystle Lightning
Crystle Lea Lightning is a First Nations actress and model. Born Crystle Lea Light, she holds dual citizenship with the United States and Canada and is a Plains Cree member...
, Cody Lightning
Cody Lightning
Cody Lightning is a Cree Native American actor.He is son of Georgina Lightning, and brother of William Lightning and Crystle Lightning....
, and William Lightning.
Filmography
- Yellow Wooden Ring (1998 as Sissy Blea)
- Pocahontas II: Journey to a New WorldPocahontas II: Journey to a New WorldPocahontas II: Journey to a New World is a 1998 straight-to-video sequel to the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas. The film is inspired by true events in the life of Pocahontas which took place several years after her encounter with John Smith and the founders of Jamestown...
(1998 as an “additional voice”) - My Brother (1999 as Mother)
- Walker, Texas RangerWalker, Texas RangerWalker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
(TV, 1998-1999, two episodes, in Way of the Warrior as Sundance, and War Cry as Ellen Crow Feather) - Backroads (2000 as Mary Lou)
- Johnny Greyeyes (2000 as Georgina)
- Christmas in the CloudsChristmas in the Clouds (film)Christmas in the Clouds is a 2001 comedy film about a ski resort owned and operated by a Native American tribe. Featured at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, the film went on to receive Best Competition Feature Film at the Austin Film Festival and Best Native American-Theme Film at the Santa Fe...
(2001 as Louise) - Cowboy Up (2001 as Brenda)
- The West Wing (TV, 2001, as Maggie Morningstar Charles in the episode The Indians in the Lobby)
- Auf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
(TV, 2002, as Lainie Proudfoot in four episodes: An Inspector Calls, Another Country, A Bridge too Far, and Bridge Over Troubled Water) - DreamkeeperDreamkeeperDreamkeeper is a 2003 film written by John Fusco and directed by Steve Barron. The main plot of the film is the conflict between a Lakota elder and storyteller named Pete Chasing Horse and his Lakota grandson, Shane Chasing Horse...
(TV, 2003 as Crystal Heart, also as associate producer) - Sawtooth (2004 as Lucy, also as executive producer and producer)
- Hanbleceya (2005 as co-producer)
- Ghosts of the Heartland (2007 as Tani)
- Older Than AmericaOlder Than America (film)Older Than America is an independently produced award winning film directed by Native American director/actress Georgina Lightning, originally released in 2008...
(2008 as director, writer, and as lead actress portraying the character Rain)