Jonathan Olshefski

Without Arrows

Rowan University

Synopsis:

Filmed over the course of thirteen years (2011-2023), WITHOUT ARROWS chronicles the vibrance and struggle of a Lakȟóta family.

Delwin Fiddler Jr., a champion grass dancer from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, left his reservation as a young man to escape a trauma that splintered his family and built a new life in Philadelphia. A decade later he abandons it all and returns home to fulfill his mother’s ambition and carry on the legacy of their thiyóšpaye (extended family).

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Official websites:
https://withoutarrows.com/
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/without-arrows/

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Credits:
A Film by Delwin Fiddler Jr., Jonathan Olshefski, Elizabeth Day

Jonathan Olshefski | Producer/Director/Cinematographer
Elizabeth Day (Ojibwe) | Producer/Director
Ellen Knechel | Editor
Leya Hale (Dakota / Diné) | Editor
Olivia Komahcheet (Comanche / Otoe-Missouria) | Composer

Jonathan Olshefski was the - co-producer, co-director and cinematographer on the film. His main collaborators were protagonist Delwin Fiddler Jr. (Lakota) and co-producer / co-director Elizabeth Day (Ojibwe). The three of us controlled all creative aspects of the film.