JONATHAN THUNDER GOOD MYTHOLOGY

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SYNOPSIS

Filmmaker Sergio Rapu follows Anishinaabe artist Jonathan Thunder as he dives deep into the inspirations behind his surrealist paintings and animations. From the killing of an iconic American hero to critical perspectives of how indigenous people were portrayed in early children’s cartoons, Thunder’s art prompts viewers to take a critical look at our shared mythologies.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I first met Jonathan Thunder when we worked together on Leya Hale’s BRING HER HOME, an hour-long PBS doc about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic. As I got to know him more, I saw such a stark contrast between his warm calming demeanor and the evocative surrealist works that he created. In conversations I found shared similarities in our goals and struggles. As indigenous men, storytellers, and artists, we yearned to be seen beyond just our cultural identity and more so for our talents and skills. As fathers–a soon-to-be one in Jonathan’s case–there was this added sense of responsibility for guiding and protecting a new generation of youth in a seemingly bleak world.

I gained inspiration for crafting the visual style of the film through Jonathan’s work. I wanted to live within many of his paintings and films, where Indigeneity played a small facet of a much larger complex world. In that world, great legends were killed, women were revered heroines, and we humans were part of nature, not separate from it. I worked with cinematographer Jeff Saunders to frame Jonathan using anamorphic lenses so as to elevate his real world into the realm of mythology. In working with Anishinaabe artist Moira Villiard, we also melded Jonathan’s own animations into his live action world, hoping to visually cement his pieces in reality. In that way, Gichigami (Lake Superior) also became a key character in the film. Its ice shards and frozen surface in the winter transitioned to the glimmering enriching lake in the summer, mimicking Jonathan’s own transition into fatherhood.

In the process of making this film, my own uncertainties around career, fatherhood, and being an indigenous man were validated through Jonathan’s own experiences. Though our ancestry and upbringing were different, I felt great comfort in the fact our experiences and values were so similar. To that end this film is as much about Jonathan’s journey, and my own, as it is about many indigenous fathers trying to be a present, positive force, for our families by grasping onto the fleeting connections to our culture and past.

-        Sergio Mata’u Rapu

SERGIO MATA'U RAPU
Producer / Director

Native Rapanui Producer/Director Sergio Mata’u Rapu is the only Easter Islander working in production in an English-speaking country. He has spent the last 15 years shooting, and producing documentaries that have aired on History Channel, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and NOVA. Through his work, Sergio aims to show the diversity of life through thought provoking media to inspire resolutions to social, economic, and environmental conflicts.

ADAM GEIGER
Writer / Editor

ANTON TREUER
Advisor

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Stanley Nelson

Marcia Smith

Monika Navarro

MOIRA VILLIARD
Adapted Animation

JEFF SAUNDERS
Director of Photography

Jeff has been a freelance Director of Photography since 1995 and has won multiple awards for his work in television and feature length documentaries. Some of his most successful television productions include Space Mysteries, the four hour series for National Geographic, Lost Landscape: America’s Tallgrass Prairie for PBS, and 100 Greatest Discoveries hosted by Bill Nye for the Discovery Channel.

MIKE SHUM
Additional Photography

BRANDON BOULAY
Colorist

Bio pending.

Co Producers

FIRELIGHT MEDIA

Kartemquin is a collaborative center empowering filmmakers who create documentaries that have consequences in the world and foster a more engaged and just society. In 2016, Kartemquin celebrated 50 years of sparking democracy through documentary.

The organization's films have received three Academy Award® nominations and won several major prizes, including six Emmys, two Peabody Awards, multiple Independent Spirit, IDA, PGA and DGA awards, and duPont-Columbia and Robert F. Kennedy journalism awards. Kartemquin is recognized as a leading advocate for independent public media, and has helped hundreds of artists via its filmmaker development programs that help further grow the field, such as KTQ Labs, Diverse Voices in Docs, and the acclaimed KTQ Internship.

Kartemquin is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. www.kartemquin.com

AMERICAN MASTERS

The mission of Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) is to support, advance, and develop Pacific Island media content and talent that results in a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture, and contemporary challenges.

In keeping with the mission, PIC helps Pacific Islander* stories reach national audiences through funding support for productions, training and education, broadcast services, and community outreach.