As a Native and Queer filmmaker, I focus on creating stories that help uplift Indigenous and LGBTQ2S communities. I strive to make comedic films that don’t fall into the Native trauma tropes so often found in the past. Supporting this project helps uplift Indigenous stories & LGBTQ2S visibility.

CAMPAIGN UPDATE: 
We hit our goal!

We're overwhelmed with the first two weeks of support -- Nia:wen Kowa (thank you) so much!!! With 15 days left to go - your contribution now will still be essential to this film.

STRETCH GOAL: $12,000

We are looking to raise an additional $2,000 to hire an Audio Engineer and purchase additional marketing assets festival circuit!

- Team Headdress 10/04/22

LOGLINE:

When a Native man at a music festival spots a white person in a ceremonial headdress, he retreats into his mind to find the perfect insult.

STORY:

An ecstatic weekend at a music festival is brought to a grinding halt when Tai spots a white person wearing a Native Ceremonial Headdress. His friends ask him a question he’s been asked many times before: “What are you going to say?” Despite a lifetime of finding himself having to educate people in situations just like this, he still struggles to find the right thing to say.

Within this hesitation, we retreat into the mind of Tai where we meet the various versions of himself that assist in his day-to-day thought process. While there are many various colorful versions of him, none comes close to the two budding identities that are “Professional Tai” and “Goth Tai” - his newest and oldest identities. They’re constantly bickering at each other as they struggle to agree on the right way to respond to this racist interaction.

It’s within this debate that we explore the complexity of what it is to be a modern Native person. That our decisions, our practices, and our beliefs are not monolithic or one note. That we are rich with nuances and shades when it comes to points of view on a variety of contemporary issues. When their debate escalates into a physical fight they break the only device that can communicate messages to Tai. It’s at this moment that the versions of Tai have to band together to try and fix the damaged device and still come up with the “perfect thing to say.”

All of this happens while maintaining laugh-out-loud humor, sharp satire, and a healthy dose of surrealism - HEADDRESS is a comedy focused on the intrinsic and complicated issues many modern LGBTQ2S/BIPOC people face.

We’re in what some are calling the Native American television and media renaissance. Where stories involving Indigenous people are finally being told from Indigenous people. But there’s still a missing element of LGBTQ2S stories existing within this space. Ultimately I want HEADDRESS, and other short films like it, to reach native youth like my fourteen-year-old self. The one who was hungry for queer Indigenous representation. I know there is other queer youth out there, on reservations like mine, who can benefit greatly from a little bit of visibility.

KWE KWE!

My name is Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire. I’m the Writer, Director, and Actor for HEADDRESS! Throughout my life, I’ve had dozens of moments where I’m the only one in the room.

The only Native.
The only Queer.
The only both.

And in these moments I was always expected to have the perfect answer to every related question. The problem is, that answers aren’t always simple.

I wanted to make this film to showcase the complexity of dealing with Indigenous situations like this in a deeply comedic way. I wanted to show the literal thought process, within the mind, that many of us go through. To showcase that finding the perfect thing to say isn’t easy. It isn’t one-note. And there isn’t always going to be an ultimate answer …at least not right away.

I grew up on a reservation but spent a lot of my teen years at concerts and music festivals. Living and breathing for a live concert experience, to the point that my hearing is already shot. As for storytelling, I have a deep background in comedy and more recently, television. I’m a former house performer at UCB Theatre in NY and a Writer/Actor on the TV show “Rutherford Falls” on Peacock.

This short film is my directorial debut and I’m so excited to bring you on this surrealist narrative journey. I must give an early thank you to all the people from the Sundance Institute’s Native Lab - your guidance, mentoring, and initial grant are helping make this project possible.

Nia:wen/Thank you
Taietsarón:sere

 

We were so fortunate to receive a grant from the SUNDANCE INSTITUTE INDIGENOUS PROGRAM. The Sundance Institute Indigenous Program champions and provides deep support of Indigenous-created stories on a global scale. From labs and fellowships to screenings and gatherings around the world, the program’s offerings are designed in response to the specific needs of Native and Indigenous storytellers.

Now, this is where YOU come in — we’re turning to our friends, family, and community to help us finish the film! The funds from this campaign will for directly to:

• Deferring our initial production costs
• Create a post-production budget
• Defer costs for any travel from our team during our production
• Assist in getting us a premiere in LA and my home Reservations
• Assist with festival submission costs
• Cover any additional marketing materials 

Production wrapped on August 29th, 2022 and we're so excited to share more updates!

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY:

PLEASE HELP US GET THE WORD OUT AND REACH OUR GOAL!

If you wish to contribute but cannot afford to, sharing this campaign via social media, email, or however you connect with your community would be greatly appreciated.

Below are some copy & paste templates to make sharing easier:

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Support Queer & Indigenous film by contributing to the short film HEADDRESS (@headdressfilm) - by writer/director TAIETSARÓN:SERE ‘TAI’ LECLAIRE. This comedic surrealist short explores the complexity of identity when confronted with racism head-on.

Support them on @seedandspark - www.seedandspark.com/fund/headdress

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Support Queer & Indigenous filmmaker Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire and his team by contributing to his short film HEADDRESS (@headdressfilm), a surrealist comedy about the internal complexity that faces many LGBTQ2S + BIPOC.

Support them on @seedandspark - www.seedandspark.com/fund/headdress

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SURREALIST. NATIVE. COMEDY. Direct by Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire - HEADDRESS (@headdressfilm) is the movie you never knew you needed.

Support them on @seedandspark - www.seedandspark.com/fund/headdress

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The most crucial way you can help this project is by spreading the word! Share with your friends, family, extended family, dentist, whoever!

NIA:WEN!