Blood Lineage

When her friend comes back from a coffee date, Tanis begins a bizarre discussion about having children with other Natives just to have Native kids so their native history doesn’t die out.

It’s a comical look at a real fear Natives have.

Creative team

Writer: Andrew Genaille
Director: Claude Bauschinger
Producer: Tanis Parenteau

Filmmakers’ statements

I first met Tanis Parenteau working on an activist short film in which we were trying to shed some light on women’s rights being trampled on in Alaska. The shoot went great and Tanis was fantastic in it. After the shoot we started talking about how frustrating it can be waiting for other people to give you permission to be creative, whether through time or money.

As a result of these talks we decided to work together to change this. Around this same time Tanis started casually educating me about Native/First Nations issues: the good, the bad and the extremely frustrating! Obviously I had very little understanding regarding many of these issues. But I listened and I learned.

That’s when Tanis sent me a copy of an untitled script by Andrew Genaille that would become Blood Lineage. I had previously read some of Andrew’s work and it was always great. This was no exception! It read like a classic comedic scene complete with quippy dialogue, as well as a surprising twist.

I read it front to back three times and laughed out loud each time. Then, I started to panic. I went into a cold sweat. It was late but I called Tanis and said something to the effect of, “This script is great! It’s so funny! But … it’s not real, right? This doesn’t really happen … right?!” She patiently indicated that this issue is real and people do make these decisions.

It was then I knew we HAD to make this picture. And even though it’s in no way my story to tell, I felt it was all of our responsibility to share this story with the broadest audience possible. Of course Tanis and Andrew knew about the issue, but I could share it with my friends, my family, my social circles, my coworkers and anyone else who would give us 10 minutes.

I knew if we could make a good short we could start a bigger conversation with people like myself – people who had been blind to this situation. And if we could do that we would be starting something truly amazing.

I hope you enjoy Blood Lineage. Moreover I hope it helps to open some eyes and some minds. And if we are able to do that, then I believe we have done our job. – Claude Bauschinger

Blood Lineage came about after a discussion with a friend who told me she’ll only have children with native men, which turned into a bigger discussion about how many native women and men felt the same way.

The idea was both dark and kind of funny as I considered the scenarios we would create, one of which turned into this short. Since it was made, I’ve heard or read many comments about it hitting home across the country. – Andrew Genaille

About Claude Bauschinger

Claude Bauschinger is a photographer, cinematographer, steadicam operator and director based in Brooklyn.

Born and raised in California, Claude began studying photography, art and music at an early age. Given his first camera by Rondal Partridge, renowned photographer and son of Imogen Cunningham (Ron worked with Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams), Claude set about capturing the world around him.

Taking an interest in steadicam operation, he studied with Garrett Brown (Rocky, The Shining), Jerry Holway and Chris Fawcett, subsequently becoming a member of the Steadicam Operators Association. Claude has lensed projects all over the world.

Aside from working in narrative, Claude has a strong body of work in commercials, documentaries and reality. Regardless of his role or the type of project, his goal is to create scenarios and images that will not only tell the story, but will also affect the viewer on the deepest level.