Remaining Native

Paige Bethmann (Dir), 88 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere

DECOLONIAL SPOTLIGHT

Director Paige Bethmann in attendance.

Ku Stevens (17) is the solo runner at his high school with no coach. Living on the Yerington Paiute reservation in Northwest Nevada, he is driven by his ambition to run for his dream school, the University of Oregon.

As Ku trains, unreconciled emotions unearth the memory of his great-grandfather, Frank Quinn. At 8 years old, Frank ran 50 miles across the desert to escape an Indian boarding school. Frank’s story becomes interwoven with Ku’s journey to run a collegiate qualifying time.

This coming-of-age documentary is told from Ku's perspective as he struggles to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete as the memory of his great grandfather's escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future.

Will Ku outrun his history or will he learn to run in parallel with it to achieve his dreams?