Hail to the Breadsticks (Hispanic Heritage Month!)

Writer producer Donick Cary (The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation, Have a Good Trip, etc.) has been a huge fan of the Washington D.C. pro football team since before he could walk. Passed down from his dad, he was excited to pass the tradition onto his kids. Donick never questioned the team name and or Native American logo until one day, while watching a game, his 9-year-old son, Otis, asked him if it was racist. When Otis suggests they ask Native Americans how they feel, it sends the two on a cross-country journey full of unexpected surprises. Hail to the Breadsticks! follows multiple perspectives throughout its story: the innocent questioning of a 9-year-old non-Native boy, the open-minded inquiries of a super fan of the team, and most importantly, a broad swath of Native America. While Donick and Otis' journey provides the spine to the story, the stars of the film are the 75 plus Native Americans they talk to. From the halls of Congress (Deb Haaland) to Pulitzer Prize finalist Tommy Orange; from the creator of the show Reservation Dogs (Sterlin Harjo) to real life reservation dogs (teens on the Pine Ridge rez); from Athabaskan Alaska to Acoma Sky City, the film brings to light the stories and perspectives of Native Americans from all walks of life in the United States. Comedy interstitials and Simpsons-esque animation help tackle hard truths about the Native American experience and feature big names Graham Greene, Irene Bedard and Jana Schmieding. While the film begins with what seems like the question of a simple sports mascot it quickly moves onto bigger, thornier issues like erasure, invisibility, and representation; ultimately posing a unique solution: let Native Americans tell their own stories. Hail to the Breadsticks! takes an irreverent, yet respectful look at modern Native American identity in its myriad complexity to make the plight of what is often called an "invisible minority" a little bit more visible.

 

Proudly Sponsored By: