a first-look trailer<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\nProduced\u00a0by the same team\u00a0behind the award-winning docuseries, \u201cOsiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People,\u201d\u00a0the film examines the Nation\u2019s history of enslavement, which ended in 1863, and the prolonged effort by Cherokee Freedmen and their descendants to reclaim their treaty-protected right to tribal citizenship, as guaranteed in 1866.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not shy away from the dark, uncomfortable parts of our history,\u201d said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. \u201cIf we mean to seek equality, and true\u00a0and lasting\u00a0change, we must recognize\u00a0our failures and\u00a0seek\u00a0to understand\u00a0and share the story of the Cherokee Freedmen. This is a commitment we\u00a0will\u00a0not take lightly and one that we hope will result in the healing of a Nation and\u00a0a\u00a0future together built on trust and respect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Co-directed by Cherokee Nation citizens Jen Loren and Melissa Payne, the team consulted with the tribe\u2019s Freedmen advisory committee, ensuring accurate and respectful portrayals of the history and legacy of Cherokee freedmen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis documentary is raw, emotional, difficult and honest. It honors the sacrifices of our ancestors while celebrating the fact that we are now united as one people,\u201d said Freedmen Community Liaison Melissa Payne. \u201cI could not be more grateful for the work that is being done on behalf of the Cherokee Freedmen and their descendants, and for the way Chief Hoskin has ensured this effort will continue. The Freedmen story continues to unfold, and we are Cherokee.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The trailer premiered Feb. 16 at OSU-Tulsa, where tribal leaders and community members gathered in recognition of Black History Month. The documentary is described as an international journey, following descendants of freed slaves as they unpack their unique identities and uncover and explore the buried history of Cherokee Freedmen as the tribe works to heal the deep scars of slavery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The documentary is grounded in years of research and\u00a0is\u00a0shaped by the insights\u00a0of Cherokee historians Dr. Julie Reed, Jack\u00a0Baker\u00a0and Marilynn Vann; alongside historian and academic scholar Tiya Miles, of Harvard University.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing entrusted with this story is a profound honor \u2014 as a filmmaker and, more importantly, as a fellow Cherokee,\u201d said Loren,\u00a0who also serves as\u00a0senior director of Cherokee Film. \u201cIt reflects the very reason Indigenous storytelling matters. Together, we are sharing the Freedmen story through the voices of their descendants, capturing their emotional journey as they reconnect with their history and heritage in real\u00a0time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cherokee Film Productions is planning a fall premiere on the festival circuit, with hopes for subsequent worldwide distribution.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cherokeephoenix.org \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TULSA \u2013\u00a0As part of its Black History Month observance, Cherokee Nation\u00a0announced\u00a0its production company,\u00a0Cherokee Film Productions,\u00a0will soon release\u00a0a feature-length\u00a0documentary\u00a0exploring the\u00a0highly-charged\u00a0topic of Cherokee Freedmen,\u00a0offering a\u00a0sneak peek with\u00a0a first-look trailer.\u00a0 Produced\u00a0by the same team\u00a0behind the award-winning docuseries, \u201cOsiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People,\u201d\u00a0the film examines the Nation\u2019s history of enslavement, which ended in 1863, and the prolonged effort […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2316255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[448762,448764,341174,448758,341173,394933,448761,448759,341177,398059,448763,306904,436545,341176,25432,448760],"class_list":["post-2316254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-african-diaspora","tag-anti-black-racism","tag-cherokee","tag-cherokee-freedmen","tag-cherokee-nation","tag-culture-of-the-united-states","tag-forced-labour","tag-freedman","tag-indigenous-peoples-of-north-america","tag-indigenous-peoples-of-the-southeastern-woodlands","tag-marilyn-vann","tag-oklahoma","tag-slavery","tag-society-of-the-united-states","tag-united-states","tag-unpaid-work"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Cherokee-Film-Productions-announces-feature-documentary-about-Cherokee-Freedmen.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316254"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2316256,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316254\/revisions\/2316256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}