As winners of the U.S. Directing award for documentary at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and nominees for the Truer Than Fiction Award at the 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards, held Saturday, February 22, “Sugarcane” directors Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat have some experience in using their voices as tools against systemic injustice. Speaking with IndieWire’s Alison Foreman on the Indie Spirits red carpet, Kassie and NoiseCat expressed their hope that the future of filmmaking rests with artists willing to “guard truth” and counter those trying to brush history under the rug. Watch the full interview above.
“We’re in a really difficult political moment where the world is moving towards authoritarianism,” Kassie said, “and that artists in this moment have a responsibility to step up to the plate and guard truth and push against those forces and so I believe in filmmakers and artists, that they’re going to take up that mantle, and I’m excited to see what’s made in response to the sort of oppression and change of political winds that’s happening.”
While major studios may be more inclined to support projects that stay neutral and work to distract, NoiseCat believes now is the moment to meet audiences where they’re at and provide them with narratives that speak to their frustrations.
“I think that people want to be challenged and want to learn,” he said. “I don’t think that we all want to be pacified by our entertainment, and I think that there’s always going to be a role for that kind of filmmaking and storytelling, and I’m very hopeful that there are enough executives in this industry — we’ve met a lot of good people around us — who also see things that way.”
In a hint at how A.I. is quickly taking precedent over human artistry, NoiseCat added that, just as “Sugarcane” was made by actual creative individuals, cinema’s future must be guided by humanity. To that end, NoiseCat also hopes those in power see how artists are deserving of financial security.
“I’m hopeful that there will be a future for films like this that are also made by humans,” Noisecat said, “and that the human labor at the core of creative art will continue to be valued.”
Watch the full video above.
“Sugarcane” is currently available to stream on Disney+.
