Big Chief, Black Hawk

America ReFramed
  • Feature Film
  • 2023
  • 60 Mins

Big Chief T is a high school senior and the youngest Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief in New Orleans. During COVID-19, he and the Black Hawk Hunters navigate the impacts of gentrification and systemic racism on their annual masking tradition. Through haute couture, movement, and words, Big Chief, Black Hawk celebrates the beauty and resilience of “the culture” even in the face of crisis and change.

More from this film

Big Chief, Black Hawk

  • Feature Film
  • 2023

Trailer

Big Chief T is a high school senior and the youngest Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief in New Orleans. During COVID-19, he and the Black Hawk Hunters navigate the impacts of gentrification and systemic racism on their annual masking tradition ...

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Film Credits

  • Jonathan Isaac Jackson Director
  • Paul V. Fishback Producer
  • Philip Williamson Jr. Producer

Critical Acclaim

Big Chief, Black Hawk is a fascinating exploration into a culture many probably aren’t familiar with but that very much deserves the spotlight. We learn about a deeper history of New Orleans and Mardi Gras, beyond the more commercialized depiction... Jonathan Isaac Jackson’s visual love letter to New Orleans is also a celebration of Black culture worldwide.

Cassondra Feltus, Black Girl Nerds

Press Room

American Documentary Celebrates A Swim Lesson and Until He’s Back Among the Year’s Standouts in 97th Academy Awards® Documentary Shortlist POV, WHUT / Howard University Television, and From Prison Cells to PHD Host Event on Gun Violence Reduction Featuring THE BODY POLITIC Featuring Brandon Scott, Mayor of Baltimore, MD ‘POV Shorts’ Seventh Season Puts Center Stage Ten Short Acquisitions Telling Big Stories in an Arthouse Setting Beginning November 12, 2024 on the PBSApp and POV.org
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