Erica Tremblay (born 1980) is a Native American ( Seneca–Cayuga)

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

director, based out of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

City known for her films ''

In the Turn ''In the Turn'' is a 2014 documentary film directed by Erica Tremblay. It was produced by Tremblay, Bernard Parham, and Bodie Scott-Orman. The film won Best New Mavericks Feature at the Atlanta Film Festival and awards at several LGBT film festiv ...

'' (2014), ''Heartland: A Portrait of Survival'' (2012) and ''Tiny Red Universe (2007)'' as well as her feature film directorial debut ''

Fancy Dance Fancy dance, Pan-Indian dancing, Fancy Feather or Fancy War Dance is a style of dance some believe was originally created by members of the Ponca tribe in the 1920s and 1930s, in an attempt to preserve their culture and religion. It is loosely bas ...

'' (2023).

Early life and career

Tremblay grew up in

Seneca, Missouri Seneca is a city in western Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. Located on the southwest border of the state, the city is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Seneca ...

, a rural community near

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jasp ...

. In 2007, she moved to

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Linco ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

. While there she wrote, produced and starred in ''Tiny Red Universe,'' a short film which aired on IFC. In 2012, she released ''Heartland: A Portrait of Survival.'' The film documents the effects of the

2011 Joplin tornado A devastating EF5-rated multiple-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on the evening of Sunday, May 22, 2011. Part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak, the tornado touched down just west of Joplin and intensified very quickly, reaching ...

which destroyed a quarter of the city and caused about $2.8 billion worth of damage. Tremblay, who was living in Los Angeles at the time but had previously lived in Joplin, had relatives still living in her hometown. She traveled to the town with a film crew and documented the aftermath for a four-week period. The film, which features several stories like the Joplin Found Photos project, was shown at the Omaha Film Festival, and at

St. Louis International Film Festival The St. Louis International Film Festival (also known as SLIFF or Cinema St. Louis) is an annual film festival in St. Louis, Missouri, which has been running since 1992. The coordinating organization changed its name to "Cinema St. Louis" in 2003 ...

. In 2014, Tremblay released ''In the Turn,'' a documentary film that revolves around a ten-year-old transgender girl from

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ex ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The film began as a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...

project to profile the Vagine Regime, "a queer roller derby collective," in a documentary film. Tremblay received a message from Crystal's mother that recounted the negative experiences her daughter has had in asserting her

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the ...

and how she is unable to participate in sports because of this. Tremblay, who herself identifies as queer, decided to refocus the documentary around Crystal. In 2016, Tremblay was awarded a National Artist Fellowship at the

Native Arts and Cultures Foundation The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports Native American artists, culture bearers, and Native-led arts organizations, providing them with support through fellowships and project funding. ...

. As of March, 2017, Tremblay serves as

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...

's director of video; before joining Bustle, she worked for Hearst Digital Media. In 2023, Tremblay made her feature directorial debut with the drama film ''

,'' which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and was made possible in part by the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...

film initiative.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tremblay, Erica American documentary film directors Film directors from Missouri Film producers from Missouri American documentary film producers American film producers American women documentary filmmakers 1980 births Living people People from Seneca, Missouri Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women Seneca–Cayuga Nation people