Georgina Lightning has carved out a career as a go-to American Indian actress, appearing in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and voice acting in “Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World” among other roles.
Now she parlaying her experience into filmmaking.
Lightning, 45, directed and stars in “Older Than America,” a drama about a woman who tries to speak out about church-driven atrocities that took place at her Native American boarding school.
The film is part of the fifth annual Native Eyes Film Showcase, a festival produced by the Arizona State Museum and Hanson Film Institute in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. It starts Friday and goes through Sunday.
“Older Than America” screens at 7 p.m. Friday as part of a double feature with the short film “4 Wheel War Pony,” about White Mountain Apache skateboarders. Lightning, in her first visit to Tucson, will present the film and answer audience questions.
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A Plains Cree who is an outspoken American Indian rights activist, Lightning has a life story worthy of a Hollywood screenplay.
She filed for divorce the day she gave birth to the youngest of her three children in Edmonton, Alberta. She then moved with her kids and mother, Bernice Dejong, to L.A. to attend acting school, surviving off minimal income from a rental property she owned in Canada until she and her kids began to get enough acting work to make ends meet.
“I’m just dedicated and I have a passion and love to do film,” Lightning said. “It’s a tough industry and you just have to be ready, not take no for an answer and keep moving on.”
That passion transferred to Lightning’s children. Cody, 22, acted in “Smoke Signals” and appeared in “The X Files.” William, 24, has acted in six indie films and is getting into directing. And Crystle, 26, appeared in the direct-to-DVD “American Pie Presents: Band Camp” and voice acted in the video game “Prey.”
Read more of Phil Villarreal's interview with Lightning in this week's Caliente in Thursday's Arizona Daily Star.
If you go
• When: Friday-Sunday.
• Where: Crossroads, 4811 E. Grant Road.
• Admission: $4 per screening.
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