Synopsis
“Kill the Indian in him, and save the man” was the guiding principle of the U.S. government-run Indian boarding school system starting in the late 19th-Century. The program removed tens of thousands of Native American children from their tribal homelands, and through brutal assimilation tactics, stripped them of their languages, traditions, and culture. The students were forced through a military-style, remedial education. Most children returned emotionally scarred, culturally unrooted with trauma that has echoed down the generations. Many students never returned home, having died at the schools. Home From School: The Children of Carlisle dives into history of the flagship federal boarding school, Carlisle Indian Industrial School, and follows the modern-day journey of the Northern Arapaho Tribe as they seek to bring home the remains of three children who died at Carlisle over 100 years ago. To move forward they need to heal from the past, and in doing so they forge the way for other tribes to follow.
Released in 2021, Home From School is a co-production of Caldera Productions and Vision Maker Media and nationally broadcasts on the PBS series Independent Lens. It was nominated for a 2022 Heartland EMMY award for Best Documentary in Cultural Programs and was awarded the 2022 Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Documentary. Home From School has been an Official Selection at 18 film festivals and has won top juried prizes at six festivals.
Filmmaker Biography
Geoffrey O'Gara (Director, Producer, Writer) worked for Wyoming PBS for over 20 years as on-camera talent, writer, and documentary producer. Currently, he is the President of Caldera Productions, an independent documentary film company that tells stories rooted in the American West. His productions have won a variety of prizes, including a Heartland Emmy and National Educational Television Association (NETA) nomination for The State of Equality (2019), Ferret Town (2019), Heartland Emmy award for best documentary Will Rogers & American Politics (2011), and NETA’s top prize for documentary Alan K. Simpson: Nothing Else Matters (2012). Geoff is also the author of several books, one of which, “What You See in Clear Water” (Knopf), is about the Wind River Reservation, and won the Spur award for best nonfiction from the Western Writers of America. He is a former editor of High Country News and is published in many national publications. Home From School is Geoff’s third feature documentary that he has directed with Caldera Productions.
Sophie Barksdale (Co-Producer) has been a producer with Caldera Productions since 2016, having relocated from Australia. Prior to Caldera Sophie worked for the Bord Scannan na hEireann/the Irish Film Board and on film festivals in Australia, Ireland and the U.S., as well as for one of Australia’s premier cultural institutions, The National Gallery of Victoria. She has also spent time working with Handle Media and Music Recruitment in London and The Royal Commission for Ancient and Historical Monuments in Edinburgh. During her time with Caldera, Sophie has had a hand in all the Caldera Productions films, a highlight being the Heartland Emmy nominee: The State of Equality (2019). Her next project Who She Is, with colleague Jordan Dresser, will be completed at the end of 2021 and will be her first foray into using animation.
Jordan Dresser (Associate Producer) is affiliated with the Northern Arapaho Tribe and lives on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. He has a BA in journalism from the University of Wyoming and has worked as a reporter for the Lincoln Journal Star, the Salt Lake Tribune, the Forum and the Denver Post. In 2009, he became the Public Relations Officer for the Wind River Hotel and Casino in Riverton, WY. During this time, Jordan produced a documentary film, Lived History: the Story of the Wind River Virtual Museum, which aired on Wyoming PBS. In 2016 he co-produced the documentary film What Was Ours (Alpheus Media/ITVS) about Wind River Reservation residents seeking to retrieve artifacts from The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, and other locations. He serves as the Collections Manager at the Northern Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office working closely with the team in tribal repatriation efforts. Jordan played a key role as Associate Producer of Home From School and his directorial debut film, Who She Is, will shine a light on the missing and murdered indigenous people in Wyoming and will be completed in 2022.
Schedule
February 7-24, 2023
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 - Pikeville, Kentucky with Geoffrey O'Gara (Director, Producer, Writer)
University of Pikeville
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 - Winston-Salem, North Carolina with Jordan Dresser (Associate Producer, Chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council)
a/perture cinema
Thursday, February 9, 2023 - Lexington, Kentucky with Geoffrey O'Gara (Director, Producer, Writer)
Living Arts and Science Center
Friday, February 10, 2023 - Nashville, Tennessee with Jordan Dresser (Associate Producer, Chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council)
Global Education Center & Fisk University, at Global Education Center
Saturday, February 11, 2023 - Clemson, South Carolina with Jordan Dresser (Associate Producer, Chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council)
The Arts Center of Clemson
Monday, February 13, 2023 - Cleveland, Mississippi with Sophie Barksdale (Co-Producer)
Bologna Performing Arts Center, Delta State University
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - Birmingham, Alabama with Sophie Barksdale (Co-Producer)
Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema
Thursday, February 16, 2023 - Atlanta, Georgia with Sophie Barksdale (Co-Producer)
Spelman College
Friday, February 17, 2023 - Hapeville, Georgia with Sophie Barksdale (Co-Producer)
City of Hapeville
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 - Sarasota, Florida with Geoffrey O'Gara (Director, Producer, Writer)
WSLR
Thursday, February 23, 2023 - Miami, Florida with Geoffrey O'Gara (Director, Producer, Writer)
O Cinema
Friday, February 24, 2023 - Wilmington, North Carolina with Geoffrey O'Gara (Director, Producer, Writer)
University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Cucalorus Film Festival, Working Films, and WHQR Public Media