Unconquered: Allan Houser and the Legacy of One Apache Family (2008)

Unconquered: Allan Houser and the Legacy of One Apache Family

2008

Documentary History

Synopsis

In decades past, Native American artists who wanted to sell to mainstream collectors had little choice but to create predictable, Hollywood-style western scenes. Then came a generation of painters and sculptors led by Allan Houser (or Haozous), a Chiricahua Apache artist with no interest in stereotyped imagery and a belief that his own rich heritage was compatible with modernist ideas and techniques. Narrated by actor Val Kilmer and originally commissioned as part of an exhibit of Houser’s work at the Oklahoma History Center, this program depicts the artist’s tribal ancestry, his rise to regional and national acclaim, and the continuing success of his sons as they expand upon and depart from their father’s achievements. Key works are documented, as is Houser’s tenure at the Santa Fe–based Institute of American Indian Arts.

Credits

Director

Bryan Beasley

Cast

Allan Houser as Self (archive footage)

Val Kilmer as Narrator (voice)

Crew

Akil Thornton (Additional Editing)

Micheal J. Shaw (Additional Editing)

Santiago Heredia (Animation)

Tara Damron (Associate Producer)

Bill Sloggatt (Director of Photography)