By Dan Ninham
Khayman Goodsky is an aspiring short film producer. The Bois Forte Ojibwe member is currently working on a new film as a script writer to editing the final piece. Some of her film accomplishments were accepted in regional film festivals including the Duluth Superior Film Festival, Minnesota International Film Festival, Ely End of the Road Film Festival, and the North by North International Film Festival.
“My current film has an all Indigenous cast and crew,” said Goodsky. “I wrote the script which focuses on two sisters; when one goes missing, the younger sister has to put aside her grief to look for her older sister. I was honored to work with an intertribal group of artists, actors, and other creatives to make this script come to life.”
“I got into film with the help of my mentor, Jonathan Thunder, who pushed me to make a short film with a very small group of friends,” said Goodsky. “I loved the feeling of making the characters and the message come to life so I’ve been doing small film projects ever since.”
Jonathan Thunder said, “Khayman is a superstar in my book. I met Khayman many moons ago, and we worked on a couple films together. In one of those short films Khayman cast me in the role of a wise old bear with a love for donuts. They are an active leader in the arts and cinema community across Minnesota. Khayman continues to make new films, while supporting other artists and serving on local film festival committees.”
Goodsky talked about her future with film. She said, “My future film goals are to keep creating stories that are authentic and true to my values as an Indigenous person and to keep creating safe places where our stories can be shared.”
“One day, I hope to reach the level where I can do a feature film with the wonderful team I’m lucky to have right now,” added Goodsky.
Anthony Chase In Winter (Oglala Lakota/Mexican) is the film’s camera person and cinematographer. He worked as a freelance video producer for a few non-profit organizations in California. He produced three short documentaries titled “Protect Our Handball Courts” and “Protect Our Communities” focusing on the gentrification in the Santa Ana, CA area. He was also an assistant producer on an upcoming short documentary titled “Letters to Our Ancestors” and some local film production work as a camera assistant and production assistant. He was the the Cinematographer on Khayman’s previous film “Chase to a Certain Place.”
“Khayman was very much open to creative collaboration and open to hearing suggestions on scenes such as blocking and framing of the shot,” said Chase In Winter. “Khayman always put the safety and well-being of everyone on set first. Kept us on task. Effectively communicated their vision to us all. Made sure everyone on set was comfortable with one another and knew one another as well. Gave a lot of trust to everyone on set. Made me feel like my voice mattered and everyone else as well. Was very encouraging and kept us in good spirits. Overall it was a wonderful experience.”
This film is Mike Leslie Jr., Ogimaa Binesi’s, first time being involved in a film production and Khayman has helped him be comfortable on the set. “She has very strong leadership qualities,” said Leslie Jr. “She was very patient with the cast and crew, and was quick to make sure we were accommodated with everything we needed to succeed. She is a creative visionary like no other and it was a pleasure to work with her.”
Ebba Makes Room For Them (Rosebud Sioux /White Mountain Apache) plays one of the main characters, Em, in the film. Makes Room For Them also played a smaller role in Goodsky’s last film, Chase to a Certain Place. “Khayman’s very good with making sure everyone’s comfortable and has what they need,” said Makes Room For Them. “They are kind and you can tell they genuinely care about their work. I had some scenes that took me out of my comfort zone and everyone helped me. It was an amazing experience and I loved learning about everyone’s different backgrounds and stories.”
“Some of the cast and crew had never met each other before filming, but over the short week we were together, we were sharing knowledge and stories from our own tribes,” said Goodsky. “Working with this team has made me want to learn more about my culture and inspire others to keep learning about where we come from and to continue to pass on our stories, values, and lessons.”
“Our main goal was to make a film with limited equipment to show that there shouldn’t be a barrier to making films when you have the right people by your side and that anyone can do it,” added Goodsky.
