Panel of Indigenous Scholars and Artists To Explore the Film’s Themes of Storytelling, Culture
The Getty Center will host a special screening of the film Prey on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium. Attendees will need advance tickets, which are free and are invited to enjoy popcorn and spooky treats before the event. Reserve your ticket here.
Prey, directed by Dan Trachtenberg and released in 2022, is the first feature film to be entirely dubbed in Comanche. The film follows Naru, a young woman determined to protect her people from both colonizing French fur traders and Mupitsi, a human-hunting alien Predator. Producer Jhane Myers, who is Comanche and Blackfeet, worked closely with the production team to ensure that the film’s casting, plot, and language were influenced by Indigenous voices and storytelling traditions.
Following the screening of the Comanche language dub, there will be a discussion featuring producer Jhane Myers, scholar Dr. Eric Tippeconnic, and artist Virgil Ortiz. The panel will explore themes such as science fiction, Indigenous storytelling, and the use of art to preserve endangered languages and cultures. The discussion ties into the Getty Scholars Program’s 2024–2025 theme of extinction, which focuses on the balance between loss and the drive for preservation.
Jhane Myers is not only the producer of Prey but also a Sundance/Time Warner Storyteller Fellow and a Producer Fellow. A fifth-generation doll maker, jeweler, and regalia maker, she is known for her dedication to showcasing Indigenous culture.
Dr. Eric Tippeconnic, an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, is a practicing artist and an assistant professor of American Indian Studies at California State University, San Marcos. He is the first Comanche to earn a PhD in history.
Virgil Ortiz, an artist from Cochiti Pueblo, blends sci-fi, fantasy, and apocalyptic themes with his Pueblo culture. His work aims to teach Pueblo history and create global awareness of the vitality and strength of Pueblo communities. Ortiz’s art has been displayed in numerous prominent museums worldwide, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Autry Museum of the American West.
The event is part of the Getty’s Art on Screen series, which celebrates the intersection of moving-image media with art and art histories.
