March 2021
Mother Tongue Film Festival Review: Ada Blackjack Rising
Review of Ada Blackjack Rising by Catholic University’s The Tower
One of Mother Tongue’s shortest pieces now available for viewing is entitled Ada Blackjack Rising, and despite its run-time being only about six minutes, it packs a punch.
Ada Blackjack Rising, an experimental dramatic short directed by Brice Habeger, brings together the current inhabitants of Northern Alaska with a legendary woman from the same land.
By Caroline Morris
‘An absolute powerhouse’: Short film tells the incredible survival tale of Ada Blackjack
Coverage of Ada Blackjack Rising by Anchorage Daily News
“Especially for young, Alaska Native women, this is a perfect role model — somebody who is resilient in the face of absolute horror and disaster,” Rearden said. “She overcame it. Her resilience is something that we can all learn from, whether you’re a little kid or an adult.”
The crew sees the six-minute film as an opportunity to tell a longer, more in-depth story of Blackjack. Eason says he could see her story being a feature film or miniseries. Rearden says he has even loftier goals.
“(Blackjack is) an absolute powerhouse hero that little kids should grow up knowing her name,” Rearden said. “There should be schools named after her and streets named after her and there should be a statue of Ada. That’s just how I feel.”
By Samantha Davenport, November 28, 2020
