In this episode of Breaking Indie, we sit down with filmmakers Goldie Tom and Ryan Begay, who brought two powerful films to the Santa Fe Film Festival: the documentary Honor Song and the narrative short Cleaning Is a Cakewalk.
Ryan shares how his journey from serving five years in the U.S. Air Force to working as an engineer eventually led him into filmmaking—and how that path inspired Honor Song, a documentary exploring Native American veterans and the role culture, prayer, and song play in their lives before, during, and after military service. The conversation dives into how personal experiences, reconnecting with fellow veterans, and learning more about post-service struggles helped shape the film’s emotional core.
Goldie and Ryan also talk about collaborating on Cleaning Is a Cakewalk, a heartfelt short about a young boy tasked with cleaning his community’s chapter house before a cakewalk celebration. Featuring children speaking largely in the Navajo language, the film aims to inspire younger generations to embrace their language and culture while seeing themselves represented on screen.
Along the way, the discussion covers the realities of indie filmmaking—documentary vs. narrative production challenges, working with child actors, translating scripts into Navajo, and building creative partnerships within the Native filmmaking community. Goldie even shares stories from her days producing heavy metal shows in Gallup and how that DIY spirit carried over into producing films.
It’s a fun, insightful conversation about culture, collaboration, and carving out space for Native voices in cinema.
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