Georgina Lightning

Who is Georgina Lightning?

Georgina Lightning is a Native American film director, screen-writer, and actress. Lightning was born in Edmonton, Canada, and is a Maskwacis Cree, registered with the Samson Cree Nation of the Samson Indian Reservation near Edmonton, Alberta. She was raised off the reservation. In 2007 she was featured in Filmmaker Magazine as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film. In 2010 she was the recipient of the "White House Project- Epic-Award for Emerging Artist". She co-founded Tribal Alliance Productions, partnering with executive producer Audrey Martinez, as a means to create opportunities for Native Indian and Indigenous filmmakers.

In 2008 she directed, wrote, and starred in the supernatural thriller film Older Than America. As such, she became the first Native American female director of a feature-length film. The film won several awards from various film contests, including Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor. The idea for the film came from her personal exploration of her father's past.