Olshefski’s “Without Arrows” to screen in Philadelphia this weekend

Rowan University Professor Jonathan Olshefski will screen his second feature-length documentary, “Without Arrows,” Nov. 23 at the Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street, in Philadelphia.

The film, which is set to premiere Jan. 13 on the PBS program INDEPENDENT LENS, chronicles three generations of a Lakota family as Delwin Fiddler Jr., an acclaimed grass dancer, returns to his ancestral home on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota. After 11 years of living in Philadelphia, he leaves big city life behind, aiming to reconnect with his mother and father and learn more about their family history.

Olshefski shot the story over 13 years, employing the cinema verité style of filmmaking that he used for 2017’s “QUEST,” his award-winning, debut feature-length film about a North Philadelphia family. The technique enables him to get close to his protagonists to tell a rich, layered story.

A portrait of the Fiddlers, “Without Arrows” begins as Delwin works to rebuild his life and sense of identity among his family and the culture of the reservation. Delwin experiences struggles and frustrations as he attempts to rekindle an interest in traditional Lakota lifeways while healing from the trauma that caused him to leave home in the first place.

Through tenderness and tragedy, “Without Arrows” celebrates the emotional arcs and hidden longings of the Fiddler family as they strive to carry on the legacy of their ancestors for the next generation.

Olshefski co-directed the film with Elizabeth Day, a Native American filmmaker.

“We are grateful to the Fiddlers and hope that audiences will relate to this multi-generational story and gain new insights about the joys and challenges a Lakota family experiences,” said Olshefski, a full professor and the New Media Minor coordinator in the Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts. “As this is a story about a family legacy that goes back many generations, we want to emphasize the importance that every link in the chain has in creating a foundation for the ones who come next. We hope our film will cause audiences to consider the legacy that they leave behind as they live their lives and pursue their own hopes and dreams.”

Awards: Released in 2024, “Without Arrows” received the Special Jury Award at the RiverRun Film Festival and the Best Documentary Award at the First Peoples Festival in Montreal.

If you go: “Without Arrows” will screen at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.