Without Arrows

Without Arrows chronicles three generations of a Lakota family as Delwin Fiddler Jr., an acclaimed dancer, returns home to the reservation in South Dakota to heal past wounds.

Delwin Fiddler Jr. and daughter Kassi Fiddler in Eagle Butte South Dakota
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Open Call
Jonathan Olshefski
Producer/Director

Jonathan Olshefski

Jonathan Olshefski is an artist and documentary filmmaker. QUEST is his first feature-length documentary. Olshefski strives to tell intimate and nuanced stories that honor his subjects’ complexity by employing a production process that emphasizes collaboration, dialogue, and relationship. Jonathan lives in Philadelphia and is an Associate… Show more Professor at Rowan University where he teaches in the department of Radio, TV, and Film. Show less

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Headshot of Elizabeth Day
Producer/Director

Elizabeth Day

Elizabeth Day (Ojibwe) is a filmmaker from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Born on the Leech Lake Reservation and raised in the Twin Cities area, Day blends her Native American heritage with her urban upbringing to create films that employ traditional Ojibwe-style storytelling. Her work often explores the tension between traditional Native teachings and the… Show more life of a modern, urban Indian. Show less

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The Film

Without Arrows is a portrait of the Fiddlers, a Lakota family living on a reservation in South Dakota. Delwin Fiddler Jr. is a champion grass dancer who grew up on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation. After tragedy strikes his family, he departs for a new life in Philadelphia. The film begins thirteen years later, when he decides to return to the reservation in hopes of healing the past. Delwin works to rebuild his life, navigating connection and disconnection with his family and within the larger culture of the reservation. He is met with obstacles ranging from skepticism and jealousy to apathy and addiction, while he also tries to uphold his culture through dance. Through tenderness and tragedy, Without Arrows celebrates the emotional arcs and poetic subtlety of the Fiddler family and their community.

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