For filmmaker Erica Tremblay, “Fancy Dance” has already achieved the highest of honors.

After screening the film for an audience of Cayuga-language speakers in Toronto this past year, one of the elders grabbed her by the cheeks and told her “good job” in Cayuga.

“Some of them were crying because they’re in their 80s and 90s and they’ve never seen their language in a film before,” says Tremblay. “To me, that’s the biggest award that the film has received so far.”

“Fancy Dance,” which hits theaters Friday in limited release before arriving on Apple TV+ on June 28, follows Jax (Lily Gladstone) and her teenage niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson), for whom she has been caring since the disappearance of Roki’s mother. As Jax juggles searching for her sister and helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow dance, authorities come to take Roki away from the reservation and place her with her white grandfather.

Directed by Tremblay, 43, who co-wrote the script with Tlingit screenwriter Miciana Alise, “Fancy Dance” marks the Seneca-Cayuga filmmaker’s narrative feature debut. The film premiered as part of the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Like her 2020 short “Little Chief” (which also stars Gladstone), “Fancy Dance” is set in and around the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma.

Tremblay, who has written and directed on series such as “Reservation Dogs” and “Dark Winds,” explains that she found inspiration for the film’s story while in a three-year-long language-immersion program studying Cayuga.

“We were learning familial words at the time and I learned that the word for mother is knó:ha’ and that the world for your auntie on your maternal side was knohá:’ah, which means ‘little mother’ or your ‘other mother,’” says Tremblay. “This beautiful matriarchy and the importance of matrilineal kinship was so brilliantly obvious in the language and it was so moving to me.”

Within Cayuga vocabulary and grammar and syntax, Tremblay was able to feel a connection to her culture in a new way. And it was also a reminder that it was not that long ago that her culture and its perspective on matriarchy was present and thriving.

Through Jax and Roki’s story, “Fancy Dance” touches on ongoing systemic issues affecting Indigenous women and their communities, such as the missing and murdered crisis and the forced removal of Native American children from their families. But primarily, “Fancy Dance” is Tremblay’s love letter to her culture and the Cayuga language.

“It’s just hitting me that in a few short days, the film will be available globally and Cayuga is going to be heard around the world,”she says during a recent video chat over Zoom. “This is a big deal. So I’m feeling gratitude and pride, which is sometimes hard for me to allow myself to feel.”

Tremblay discusses “Fancy Dance’s” Cayuga dialogue, the issues the film addresses and her optimism for the future of the industry below. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Why was it important for you to use Cayuga in this film?

We’re at a place with our language, Cayuga, where there are less than 20 first-language speakers left. That’s dire. I think it’s considered close to extinct as a language. I’m not a fluent speaker. I’ll always be a language learner. But I have knowledge of the language and you can’t just hold it to yourself. It very much feels like a responsibility that, because I had the privilege to study in a language-immersion program, I have to do my part to pass it on.

Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson), left, and Jax (Lily Gladstone) in “Fancy Dance.”

(Apple TV+ )

Jax and Roki’s relationship is at the heart of the movie. What I really enjoyed were the little routine moments they shared — moments of joy, like when Roki gets her first period.

It was really important to have those moments of joy and those moments of levity because that’s what it feels like in my community. I know so many Jaxes. I was raised by Jaxes and without those women and queer folks in my life, I wouldn’t be here. It’s through laughter and it’s through connection that you can transcend all of these things that are happening.

Both of my nieces and my nephew have all gotten their periods. My youngest niece just got her period this past month. It’s such a joyous occasion for us Haudenosaunee people. When [Roki and Jax] go to the diner and she orders all of the strawberry stuff, it was like when I got my period and we went to the Chinese buffet and I ordered sweet-and-sour chicken and all this stuff. We don’t get to celebrate menses enough.

I’m always happy to see cultures that celebrate periods because so often it feels like there’s a weird shame or embarrassment around it.

It’s so sad because there is. We have certain things that you can and can’t do when you’re on your period. It’s not shameful in our culture. When you’re on your period, there are certain things that you’re not allowed to be near or go around because you’re so powerful that you can disrupt it. Anthropologists tried to rewrite that, but it’s in the language, it’s in the ceremonies, it’s in the culture. I’m much more excited about accepting that than any sort of shame. I’m signing up for: I’m at my most powerful.

How did you approach balancing these topics that matter to you with making entertainment?

Miciana and I wrote this film and made this film for Native people. We wanted the film to be a film that’s by Native people, about Native people. When Native people watch this, they’re going to see things represented accurately and authentically that make them proud and that they can identify with. So, No. 1, the responsibility when we were making the film was to Native people and to not re-traumatize or trigger Native people when they watched the film.

For the non-Native audiences that will come to find this film, we wanted to be able to talk about issues that are happening in Indian country in the hope that people who watch this can be guided to these topics by way of channeling humanity versus hitting you over the head. Every one of us on this planet can identify with the themes of love and loss and grief. Hopefully through the ebb and flows of [Jax and Roki’s] love, the audiences will recognize these systemic issues that are impacting Native people in modern times and they will think about their relationships to these systems.

Lily Gladstone in the movie “Fancy Dance.”

(Apple TV+)

We’ve been in a period where it feels like there is more attention being paid to Native projects — like “Dark Winds” and “Reservation Dogs.” What has it been like for you to see and experience that growth? Has the momentum stopped?

I’m really grateful for Sierra Ornelas at “Rutherford Falls” and Sterlin Harjo [of “Reservation Dogs”] and Sydney Freeland [of “Echo”] and all of these incredible showrunners and directors that are working and are my mentors. They’re really pushing up against all odds and it’s so inspiring. It allows you to see yourself that way, to see yourself as a storyteller that can do this job for a living and that you can make stories about communities that you want to.

You don’t know if this is just a moment that Hollywood is having that will just go right back. With all the strikes and everything that happened, we’re still trying to find our footing in. What is the new Hollywood? What are the impacts of AI that are coming? All of this is really anxiety-inducing.

It’s really hard on these sets. I’ll often turn around on a tech scout and be the only woman. You might be working with collaborators that don’t want to listen to you because you’re a woman or you’re Indigenous or they just have this idea that you don’t have as much knowledge. That is very actively still happening and it f— sucks. But I have optimism that things are moving in the right direction.

But how do you make up for over 100 years of really deplorable, horrible behavior in, like, three seasons of TV? It’s going to take a lot more investment by Hollywood studios to make up for the bad behavior that existed for so long and that continues to exist. I always call on these studios and these companies: You can’t just say things out loud. You have to actually actively do things.

What that really means is writing checks. You have to actively employ people with money. It’s great you have these mentorship programs, but you have to hire these people and pay them and invest in their pitches and their ideas. There needs to be more active support from these institutions and we’re slowly seeing that happen. But we need more of that in order for this to not just be a fad. So ask me this question again in five years.

I’m impressed by your optimism.

I think as an industry, we’re all just holding on and hoping that we can get things back. My mom always taught me to be optimistic while also recognizing reality. I think that we can be optimistic and at the same time call out bad behavior from the studios and these systems. I want to work with them and I’m so excited when I do. Look at a show like “Reservation Dogs” — that’s a great example of how great work can come from these relationships and I’m excited to see more of that.

And I feel like my optimism is also a quality that I learned from the Jaxes in my life. When you look at Jax and Roki, the only way that they can get to the other side of what they’re facing is because they have optimism and they love each other. They know that they can get themselves guided through this life as long as they rely on each other. I feel the same way about the work that Sterling’s doing and the work that I’m doing and Tazbah [Chavez] and all of these incredible filmmakers. The only way we get to the other side of this is by linking hands and doing it together. And that comes from being inspired by these incredible Native people that I know and love that are sustaining much more.

I go home [to the Seneca-Cayuga reservation] and there’s a person missing. That’s a way bigger f— deal than not getting hired in Hollywood. But it’s through laughter, through love, through humanity, through holding hands that we get to the other side of it. We’re going to survive Hollywood. We’ve survived way worse.

Rite Here Rite Now is an extremely well-produced directed and concert film that features everyone’s favorite clergyman, Cardinal Copia aka Papa Emeritus IV, as he gives his final performances before his inevitable demise and a new Papa gets ushered in.

Having been an unabashed Ghost fan from Day One, I can say that the film very clearly and cleverly captures the excitement, thrill, and pageantry of a live Ghost performance… er… ritual. Filmed over the course of the last two dates of the 2023 tour at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, fans are treated to an outstanding set of songs that ranges all the back to the first record.

What distinguishes the film from other concert films are the cutaway scenes that form a distinct narrative that tells the story of how Papa IV or “Cardi” as he’s referred to in the film, deals with the end of his own existence as leader of the Ghost congregation. Guided by Papa Nihil, the original Papa from back in the day, Cardi is also helped along by his mother, who has challenges of her own to deal with throughout the film. We actually learn of how Papa Nihil and Mom get together in an animated segment of the film that was played to “Mary on a Cross.”

The story is novel and humorous and allows fans to get a behind-the-scenes look, so to speak, about the tribulations of Cardi, and what he has to do to keep the performance at its peak, however, the main reason to see the film is the concert footage. The viewer feels fully immersed in the experience, with an impressive production quality in terms of both sight and sound.

Highlights of the film for me were the performances of the opener, “Kaisarion,” which really captured the explosive energy of the band, as well as “Twenties,” performed for the first time live and with skeleton dancers no less! “Twenties” is not one of my favorite Ghost tunes, however, it has a completely different feel to it live.

Another standout was the acoustic “If You Have Ghost,” which featured two cellos and piano accompaniment along with Ghoulette backing vocals. This was from the “B Stage,” giving us a different perspective on the performance and showing us just a glimpse of the emotion from Tobias Forge as he seems to realize the magnitude of what he’s built and created over the past several years.

Carefully curated crowd shots that show the sheer joy of the fans, and the up-close shots of the band make you feel like you’re in the ritual yourself. Meshed with the crowded movie theater, with many folks wearing their Ghost Sunday best, creates a truly devotional experience.

If I had a complaint about the film it would be that we don’t get to see the complete performance of “Miasma,” which the Nameless Ghouls absolutely crush live. I could also complain about the ending – really the after-credits reveal – but I can say it’s done in typical Ghost tongue-in-cheek fashion that will make you slightly angry but will also make you laugh at the same time.

Viewers get to hear a new song during the credits, which has now also been released to the general public, with “The Future is a Foreign Land.” Love the backing vocals by the Ghoulettes on this one as well.

Tobias Forge continues to impress and outdo himself time and time again. I’ve certainly seen many concert films over the years but Rite Here Rite Now is clearly one of the very best. If you have the chance, be sure to see it.

Rating: 10

Justin Timberlake knows he’s “hard to love” sometimes but thanked his fans in the Windy City on Friday for doing so anyway, addressing his recent arrest in the Hamptons and subsequent charge of driving while intoxicated in public for the first time.

Apparently, his Tuesday arrest in New York did not “ruin” his world tour after all.

The Grammy and Emmy Award winner, 43, delivered a short but emotional speech Friday night at the United Center in Chicago, the latest stop on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, as seen in concert footage posted on social media. As the boisterous crowd cheered him on, the former ‘N Sync frontman seemingly humbled himself in front of the sold-out arena.

“We’ve been together through ups and downs and lefts and rights. And, uh, it’s been a tough week. But you’re here and I’m here. Nothing can change this moment right now,” the singer said while holding an acoustic guitar and bowing to his adoring fans. “I know sometimes I’m hard to love, but you keep on loving me and I love you right back. Thank you so much.”

“Now if you’ll oblige me, I’d like to have a little sing-along with you guys,” he added, before launching into the show.

The “Can’t Stop the Feeling” singer was arrested on Long Island after Sag Harbor police saw his gray 2025 BMW UT run a stop sign and struggle to stay in its lane. Police who pulled him over just after 12:30 a.m. alleged the singer’s eyes “were bloodshot and glassy” and “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath.”

“[H]e was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” according to court papers obtained by The Times. The “Rock Your Body” singer was booked and held overnight in jail, where his mug shot was taken. He was arraigned hours later in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court, on the eastern end of Long Island, the Suffolk County district attorney’s office confirmed to The Times. He pleaded not guilty, the New York Times reported.

Timberlake’s spokespeople and his attorney did not immediately respond to the Los Angeles Times’ requests for comment.

In surveillance footage obtained by CNN, a car that matched the police description of Timberlake’s vehicle could be seen running the stop sign near where Timberlake was arrested, but it did not appear to be swerving in the clip.

“The Social Network” and “Trolls” actor had been having dinner and drinks with friends at the American Hotel and was pulled over about a mile away, where he told police officers that he had had only one martini before following his friends home. He refused to take a breath test three times and “performed poorly” on field sobriety tests, police said.

Page Six, citing anonymous sources, reported that the police officer who arrested the singer “was so young that he didn’t even know” who the 10-time Grammy winner was. Another source told the outlet that when he was pulled over, “Justin said under his breath, ‘This is going to ruin the tour.’ The cop replied, ‘What tour?’ Justin said, ‘The world tour.’ ” The remark went viral Tuesday and, along with Timberlake’s mugshot, instantly became a meme.

At the police station, where he spent the night, he handed over his wedding ring, phone, baseball cap, watch and wallet, along with a vape pen and green and blue papers, the kind used for rolling marijuana, according to the New York Times.

“He was freaking out and stayed up all night when he was in custody,” a source told People on Friday. “He’s insisting he only had one drink and it wasn’t some wild night out.”

Timberlake was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated because he refused to take a breath test when he was pulled over, Timberlake’s attorney Eddie Burke Jr. told Us Weekly. The singer was also given two citations, one for running a stop sign and the other for not traveling in the correct traffic lane, Burke said.

He was released on his own recognizance; no bail was set. His next court date will be July 26 — the same day he is scheduled to be in Kraków, Poland, on his Forget Tomorrow tour. Timberlake‘s arrest took place during a brief break on the tour, which stopped in L.A. last month and will run through December.

He has kept a low profile since the incident. His attorney on Wednesday told TMZ that he and the singer look forward “to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations. He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time.” The outlet also reported that the musician, who does not have a previous arrest record, does not plan to check into a rehab facility — a proactive move often used by celebrities to look good in front of a judge and strike a better plea deal in alcohol- or drug-related legal incidents.

The remarks he delivered Friday in Chicago marked the first time Timberlake publicly acknowledged the arrest since it happened.

After releasing his sixth studio album, “Everything I Thought It Was,” in March, the hitmaker set off on his Forget Tomorrow world tour in April. The tour is scheduled to continue in Chicago on Saturday before he plays Madison Square Garden in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The musician landed in hot water last year amid revelations in “The Woman in Me,” his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears’ bombshell memoir, that she had an abortion at Timberlake’s behest while they were dating around the turn of the century. Timberlake’s connection to Spears was also scrutinized in 2021 when a series of documentaries about her protracted conservatorship revisited the media’s treatment of the embattled pop princess, which included accepting his spin on their breakup.

Timberlake — now a father of two boys with actor Jessica Biel — took a lot of heat during that time, prompting a public apology to Spears and to his 2004 Super Bowl co-headliner Janet Jackson that acknowledged he “fell short” and benefited from “a system that condones misogyny and racism.”

In the wake of Timberlake’s arrest, Spears’ fans rallied to send her 2011 song “Criminal” — believed to be an allusion to her relationship with Timberlake — back up the charts. Her fans had some success with that endeavor back in January when they staged a digital-music coup to dethrone Timberlake’s new single “Selfish” by streaming her 13-year-old song with the same name.

The swaggering showman is allegedly having a harder time lately landing roles in Hollywood, Page Six reported, and is facing lackluster sales for his tour and latest album, which dropped off the Billboard 200 chart after four weeks.

“The album didn’t do too well, and I don’t see Justin getting big acting roles right now,” a Hollywood insider told the outlet earlier this week.

“He’s got a bit of an ego,” another industry insider added. “His golden boy image is definitely depleted.”

Meanwhile, the owner of the American Hotel told TMZ that Timberlake would be welcomed back anytime, because he was a model customer, “great guest and a nice guy.”

Likewise, “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King defended the musician Wednesday on air, saying that Timberlake is “a really, really great guy” and adding that the incident was “clearly a mistake” and that she bets “nobody knows it more than he.”

“He’s not an irresponsible person, he’s not reckless, he’s not careless,” King said. “Clearly this is not a good thing, he knows that.”

Other celebrities have either come out against the singer or come to his defense. Comedian Ricky Gervais used the viral news story as a way to plug his own vodka brand on X. But singer Billy Joel, who was spotted at the American Hotel after Timberlake’s arrest, told a New York news station, “Judge not lest ye be judged.”

On TikTok, footage from Timberlake’s May tour stop in Las Vegas began making the rounds, with users commenting on the crooner’s reddish eyes while performing in the clip and speculating about whether that was a precursor to his Sag Harbor arrest.