History was made on January 7th after Lily Gladstone (Blackfeet) won best actress for their role as Mollie Kyle in Killers Of The Flower Moon, the first Indigenous winner in that category.
Gladstone’s appeared in a number of films and shows before, including Certain Women, The Unknown Country, and Reservation Dogs, yet their latest portrayal of the real-life Mollie Kyle has no doubt captured the world by storm, bringing recognition and attention to the Indigenous survivors of the past and present.
They began their speech in the Blackfeet language, introducing themselves and thanking the audience. Gladstone reminisced on the history of Indigenous involvement in the film industry and the strides being made to this day by them and their fellow actors and filmmakers.
They then dedicated their award to “every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words, with tremendous allies and tremendous trust in each other.”
To the event, Gladstone wore a Valentino gown and a pair of earrings designed by Lenise Omeasoo (Blackfeet) of Antelope Women Designs.
Embed from Getty ImagesJoining Gladstone in the awards season was the crew of Prey, who won the award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Anthology, or Movie from the Creative Arts Emmys.
With the Oscars on the horizon, we hope to see continued recognition for all the native artists working in the film industry, their performances, and all of the projects they’ve poured their hearts and creativity into.
