Georgina Lightning, esteemed filmmaker from Samson Cree, passes at 63

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Samson Cree Nation said it plans to issue a statement later Tuesday.

Remembering the lives lost

RDES Chief reflects on Firefighters National Memorial Day and 25th anniversary of 9/11

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killed in tragic incident sept. 5

Georgina Lightning, esteemed filmmaker from Samson Cree, passes at 63

53m ago

Sept. 5

Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit investigating suspicious death on Samson Cree Nation

6h ago

RCMP confirmed the death is now being investigated by Occupational Health & Safety (OHS).

Lightning is an esteemed award-winning filmmaker, actor and musician, whose work has been done alongside actors such as Bradley Cooper and Alfred Molina, including the 2022 Amazon Prime series Three Pines. 

She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards for her role in the series Trickster.

Perhaps her most revered work came in 2008, when she directed, wrote and acted in the film Older Than America/American Evil. The film, which starred Cooper, won two American Indian Movie Awards, for best director (Georgina Lightning) and best supporting actor (Wes Studi). It was also nominated for the 2008 SXSW Grand Jury Award for Narrative Features.

A wake and celebration of life are taking place Sept. 15-16 at Bison Lodge and The Venue at River Cree, respectively. On social media, her daughter Crystle says all are welcome.

“I am shattered in every way possible,” shared Crystal, who is the co-creator of the musical Bear Grease, in a public Facebook post.

“I have lost my mother, my sons’ Kohkum, my matriarch, my role model, my confidant. That’s all I can say right now.”

Georgina Lightning, born July 3, 1963, was 63.

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