Daughter of a Lost Bird

Documentary | Brooke Pepion Swaney

Kendra, a Native adoptee, is a thriving woman who grew up in a loving, upper middle-class white family, and feels no significant loss with the absence of Indigenous culture or family in her life. And yet, as a Blackfeet/Salish woman, director Brooke Swaney could not imagine that Kendra could be content or complete without understanding her heritage. Together, they embark on a seven-year journey featured in the film.

During this journey, Kendra finds her biological mother April Kowalski after being apart for 34 years. April, also an adoptee, is a survivor of abuse, addiction, homelessness, and sex trafficking. Kendra and April must navigate what it means to be native and to belong to a tribe from the outside looking in. DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD documents the complex process of finding oneself in the context of a history filled with both trauma and resiliency.

66 minutes

Release: May 5, 2022

Expiration: May 4, 2026

Distributor: America ReFramed

Rights: Six (6) releases over four (4) years beginning 5/5/22;

SCH/1YR (for K-12); and non-commercial cable rights.

BROOKE PEPION SWANEY

Director/Producer/Writer
BROOKE PEPION SWANEY (Blackfeet/Salish) is a 2014 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellow and a 2013 Time Warner Fellow through the Sundance Institute. OK BREATHE AURALEE, her NYU graduate thesis film, screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and has TV distribution with FNX (First Nations Experience, a PBS affiliate).

JERI RAFTER

Producer
JERI RAFTER has worked on feature films and television projects such as WINTER IN THE BLOOD (Alex & Andrew Smith), WINTER LIGHT (Julian Higgins, Oscar Nominee 2015) . . . . AND SO IT GOES (Rob Reiner). Her latest feature film project, BELLA VISTA, premiered in 2014 at the International Rotterdam Film Festival.

KENDRA MYLNECHUK

Producer
KENDRA MYLNECHUK is an actor featured in CHRISTMAS UNDER WRAPS (Hallmark), 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK, THE BLACKLIST (NBC), WINTER IN THE BLOOD and OK BREATHE AURALEE. This is her first time stepping behind the camera.

Walt Pourier

Vice Chair

Walt is Oglala Lakota and created the logo for Urban Rez. He is Creative Director, owner of Nakota Designs Advertising Designs and Graphics. Executive Director of the Stronghold Society nonprofit dedicated to instilling hope and supporting youth movements through Live Life Call To Action Campaigns.

lynn palmanteer-holder

Lynn Palmanteer-Holder, an Indigenous plateau woman of North Central Washington and member of eight of twelve Tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Lynn recently retired as inaugural Director of Tribal Government Affairs for Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, the state’s oversight agency of 34 CTCs.  She is a highly accomplished professional that spans over 40 years. She is an experienced educator that has a demonstrated history across K12, post-secondary & higher education as a teacher, school counselor, superintendent, researcher, and professor. Also, she has diverse experience as an entrepreneur, Tribal leader and administrator. She is skilled in curriculum and program development, facilitating government to government relationships that led to formal partnerships between state institutions and Tribes developing custom programs. Lynn has served on many boards and has been recognized for various statewide, and national awards. She has several scholarly publications and has done various conference presentations and speaking engagements, at the local, national and international level. Lynn holds a Ph.C. (ABD) in Social Welfare Policy from University of Washington. She earned her M.Ed., with a concentration in counseling psychology from Washington State University and B.Ed., in K12 Education from Eastern Washington University. Lynn is a wife of 49 years, a mother of three adult professional children, granny of 10 and great granny to two. Lynn and her husband are high school sweethearts, and together enjoy time with their 15+ two-legged blessings.