A Northern California Karuk tribe brought back the Ihuk tradition for young women. The short film Long Line of Ladies observes the family and tribal affair that takes place before its ceremonial Ihuk.

Here is the logline for the short film:

A girl and her community prepare for her Ihuk, the once-dormant coming of age ceremony of the Karuk tribe of Northern California.

Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome directed the short film. Also, it is produced by Garrett Schiff, Pimm Tripp-Allen, Rayka Zehtabchi, Sam Davis, and Dana Kurth.

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta spoke with directors Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome. We discussed finding the subjects of the Karuk tribe. Also, we talked about how the production focused on the family preparations rather than showing the ceremony itself.

Rayka Zehtabchi is an Academy Award-winning director and producer who worked in both documentary and fiction. In 2019, Zehtabchi became the first Iranian woman to win an Oscar for her documentary short film Period. End of Sentence about Indian women fighting the stigma surrounding menstruation and manufacturing sanitary pads. Currently, that film is streaming on Netflix worldwide. Her short documentary film A Woman’s Place: The Butcher, the Chef and the Restaurateur on three different people in the culinary industry trying to overcome institutionalized sexism.

Shaandiin Tome is a writer, director, and cinematographer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her breakout short film Mud (Hashtl’ishnii) made its premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film is about a woman craving attention with her son but being hindered by alcoholism. Also, she directed the short film Taonga about a young Maori girl who loves performing poi.

Long Line of Ladies premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

Watch the exclusive interview with Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome below. Let us know what you think of the interview.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Sundance 2022