Interview ‘SEEDS’ actor and writer/Director Kaniehtiio Horn and Dallas Goldtooth

October 24, 2024October 24, 2024 thextramile Dallas Goldtooth, Kaniehtiio Horn, Seeds, TIFF, TIFF 24, Toronto internation film festival

The Extra Mile interviewed Kaniehtiio Horn and Dallas Goldtooth at the Toronto Film Festival about their new film, Seeds. Kaniehtiio, the film’s director, writer, and actor, shared how the protagonist’s journey as an influencer ties into themes of identity and cultural legacy. Originally inspired by Home Alone, the story follows a character balancing a modern social media persona with Indigenous values. Dallas discussed the honor of portraying a grounded Mohawk man and his admiration for Kaniehtiio’s work. They both reflected on the film’s environmental activism themes, emphasizing the affirmation of Indigenous experiences. Kaniehtiio also highlighted her efforts to involve her community by mentoring aspiring filmmakers from her reserve, creating a family-oriented production environment.

Watch the interview with Kaniehtiio Horn and Dallas Goldtooth below

TEM (The Extra Mile) : Early on, we see Ziggy’s journey as starting out as an online influencer and how it conflicts with protecting her people’s legacy. So, I’m curious, what kind of inspired you to create that theme of blending in social media to such deep cultural roots? What was the idea behind that?

Kaniehtiio: The reason why I chose influencer as her job was because I knew I wanted I basically started the whole film with the very small idea that I wanted to do something like Home Alone. And so, I wanted her to have to come and house it, or be alone at a home, and there’s some sort of, you know, threat. And so, I also knew that I wanted her to start in the city and then have to go back home. And so, for her profession, or what she was doing in the city, I didn’t want to make it too close to what I do. I didn’t want to make her an actress or something in the industry that was just too, like, on the nose. And at the time that I started developing the script, influencing was becoming a thing, you know? And the concept of influencing was just so strange to me, and so incongruent with Indigenous ideas or something. I don’t know, because there was I just… I don’t think I’m the only person who thought that influencing was a weird new job, you know? And then, on top of that, being an Indigenous influencer, the thoughts are, do you know the company that you’re working for, what you’re selling, you know? Did you know that this company is actually connected to this? And so, that’s sort of how the influencer thing came up, because in the beginning, I just thought it was a ridiculous job. But now, I have respect for it. I do. Truly, I have respect for it. I’m doing it, too. And I have a lot of friends who are influencers, and I’ve told them all of this, you know? So, that’s sort of how that aspect of the film came up. It kind of happened simultaneously as I was writing, that I was sort of discovering this thing that I just thought was so odd. I guess that’s the word. It’s just like an odd new gig, you know, that people are able to do.

TEM: How did Dallas get involved in the film? How did that come together?

Kaniehtiio: We had met a long time ago, in like 2016, and then we worked together. I mean, I’m friends with all the dudes in the 1491s. They’re like my brothers. They inspired me a long time ago to start creating my own content. I watched a whole bunch of their YouTube videos one sad pilot season in LA, and I was like, man, if these guys can do it, I can do it. So, then I made this short film called Smoke Shot, and I sent it to them. And I said, I didn’t tell them anything about it. I didn’t reach out to them until the film was actually made. And I said, I just want you to know that I made this film after watching, going on a rabbit hole, of watching all of their shorts that they had, all of their comedy shorts that they had online. And then, yeah, we kind of just became bros. And here we are.

Dallas: She’s being modest. I was a traditional pole dancer. Traditional pole dancer, fourth generation pole dancer.

Kaniehtiio: No, I thought it was, he brings out this brotherly, cousinly, he irritates me in the best way, in the most loving way, truly. And we have fun together, so I thought that bringing him along to something like this, if the audience sees that you’re having fun on screen, I think they have fun watching that, and it’s more of a pleasure to watch.

TEM: And what kind of drew you to the role, Dallas? What drew you to the role?

Dallas: The opportunity to play a Mohawk man. Yeah, it should be an honor. It’s an honor. I felt blessed. No, I think that just the opportunity to work for Gunner Deal was like, that’s the only, the main excuse I needed was to be in a film that she wrote. And I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. And I know the tremendous effort she put into bringing this film to life. And so I just wanted to be a part of that. So I think it was, it also felt good to be, to display a character that I feel so grounded in, just knowing all my cousins and brothers and really being able to channel that in this was really fun.

TEM: What do you kind of hope that viewers will take away from watching Seeds and their relationship with just fighting for the environment?

Kaniehtiio: I mean, I hope that they, I hope that they get the message all the while having a fun ride watching it, you know? You, Mr. Environmental Activist.

Dallas: Me. Me. No, I think what, the hope, what I guess, what I would hope out of it is just to remind the viewer, especially non-Indigeious viewers, like, it’s not, I mean, like, a drive. It’s not even, like, there’s, like, a mission for action out of this. It’s more, like, a reminder that Indigenous Peoples, there’s still, there’s still righteous anger and rage about what has happened and what continues to happen. And that this is just an affirmation of those feelings. And what you see on screen is very much an affirmation of how a lot of people feel at times and how they wish they could act or the actions that they wish could take on the most extreme end. And it’s just, for me as an audience, solely as an audience member watching this, when I see the main character and the journey she goes from the very beginning to the very end, I’m with her the entire way. There’s never a moment where I’m like, ah, I don’t feel comfortable. I don’t like this. No, I’m with her the entire route, the entire path. Just as much as I was with Grant Green, who’s in the movie, and his character in Clear Cut is another marquee moment for Native cinema. And his character was, like, very brutal in his reaction to protecting, in that character in the movie. It was very brutal in his effort to protect the land. So I think it’s in the same vein.

TEM: My last question would be, so we’re all about going the extra mile. So how do you guys go the extra mile, whether that be in your personal life or professional life?

Kaniehtiio: I think that I went the extra mile, I’m proud to say. I’m proud of this. By making sure that my community was involved, even though we shot in North Bay. I was able to access this grant through the Indigenous Screen Office so I could bring some people from my reserve, younger people, people who are kind of have been dabbling in the film industry but have just been waiting for sort of somebody to usher them in or, you know, open that door for them. And it’s especially hard because we’re an Anglophone community but surrounded by Francophones. It’s very hard to bust into the industry there if you’re in the technical side. So I was able to access this grant and bring up a handful of people and they came up to North Bay and they were able to, you know, I had one director’s assistant and there was somebody working in props and there was somebody working in set deck and in the editing suite and I think there was a grip. So that was a very, very important aspect of this whole experience for me because I don’t think it would be the same movie at all if I didn’t have them all there with me. It was a very family kind of holistic environment. We stayed in a house that had a huge porch and a barbecue and we were right on the lake and any chance that I had to invite anybody over to come and eat, that’s just how I function. And so to be able to have these, I don’t want to say kids, I think kids, but they’re like, runs like 30. But still to have them be able to come over.

Dallas: You call them the trainees?

Kaniehtiio: Yeah, the trainees.

Dallas: Which sounds, even sounds diminutive. It’s the trainees. It’s adorable because they come off like, I just happen to be here, guys. What do you need, Mrs. Horn?

Kaniehtiio: That is how I think that I went the extra mile to make this.

Dallas: And also, as I say, it continues. Wherever she goes, she has an entourage of family and community around her. Last night, half the crowd was her family. So, no, it’s always an inspiration to see that. It’s a good form of modeling. I think of that question, the answer to that question for me is very much on a more macro level. I try to go the extra mile by also staying connected to my family and my children and home because it’s a hard, being an actor is very hard. (And the time away from the family is a lot of impact. And it’s something that her and I have talked about and connect with. And just seeing how she balances that, I try to find that balance as well.

Kaniehtiio: the son comes everywhere with me. And I will pay for a family member to watch my son. He’s here right now. I don’t care that I’m paying. The more important thing is that he’s with me.

SEEDS had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept 6th, 2024 and will premiere theatrically on October 25, 2024