Goldie Tom, Ryan Begay bring sanguine coproduced project, Cleaning’s a Cakewalk, for upcoming short film festival

By Nicholas House
Navajo Times

GALLUP – Albert, a young boy with six siblings, makes the best of his task of cleaning the Iyanbito Chapter House alone before an event.

“I want this place spick and span when I get back,” Albert’s mother instructs her youngest son.

Albert, wearing a military green retro aviator hat glasses, says in reply, “Ha’át’íísh biniiyé? T’áá shi t’éiyá!”

That’s a scene in “Cleaning’s a Cakewalk,” a short film produced by Goldie Tom and Ryan Begay. The film is directed by Begay.

The film, created in Iyanbito, Tom’s home chapter, opens with beautiful scenic shots of the red mesas and open land. Cleaning’s a Cakewalk will be featured at the inaugural Navajo Nation Short Film Festival at the Navajo Nation Museum and the RGR Theaters in Window Rock on Sept. 5-6.

“That’s my backyard!” Tom exclaimed.

Viewers meet the main character, Albert, riding through Iyanbito on his custom bicycle. As he rides through the dirt roads, cars pass him. Tom explained his confident and tactical character comes from remembering her own younger years growing up.

Begay pulls his life as inspiration being a sibling of seven, just as Albert in in the film. Both Tom and Begay wanted to bring a storyline in which the family is together as their own families. That element brings a positive community note, a notion that is left out sometimes.

Cleaning’s a Cakewalk

The story was carefully written with a boy at the forefront because there isn’t much representation of Diné men.

“The men in our community are being strong and taking care of (the) family,” Tom explained, “even the little guys too.”

She wanted to embrace the younger male minority to inspire them to learn Navajo and be confident in their own life story. By finding the best way to find a balance so many can relate, and enjoy and find repeatable lines, the co-producers strung their narrative.
“We should just make a kid film,” explained Goldie Tom, “We both decided it’s gonna be a little boy.”

Tom is Tsin Sikaadnii and born for Táchii’nii. Her maternal grandfather is Tsénahabiłnii, and her paternal grandfather is Tábąąhá.

Ryan Begay is Tł’ízíłání and born for Tó’aheedlíinii. His maternal grandfather is ‘Áshįįhí and his paternal grandfather is Tótsohnii. He is from Piñon, Arizona.

Showcasing framework

The co-producers showcase lines of their framework to curate positives in their communities and families from a child’s perspective.

“I feel a lot of people can relate, whether if you are Navajo, whether if you are Indigenous. It connects with everybody, because everybody was a kid, once in their life,” Tom said.

The co-producers explained that for the past couple of years, they attended film festivals that had expanded their view in other Indigenous films, frustrated seeing a common backstory focused on broken homes and alcoholism in many. They wanted to change direction.

“Why can’t we showcase the good parts of growing up. The good parts of our community,” Tom said. “Like, there are still families that are still together. There are community events that happen that the community do come together.”

As the co-producers brought their personal life experience to the film direction, viewers see deep symbolism throughout the 20-minute short film.

Grant for filmmakers

The Navajo Nation Film and TV crew is getting ready to host an inaugural Navajo Nation Short Film Festival next month.

The foundation of this film festival is language revitalization. The highlight of this event will be the Navajo Filmmakers Grant Program. Participants who received a grant from the program created a short film in at least 80 percent of Diné Bizaad. The language revitalization effort was made possible by the 25th Navajo Nation Council, the Navajo Nation TV and Film, and the Navajo Department of Diné Education.

Program participants creating films were given a $6,500 grant. Tom and Begay, who received a grant, had their award matched by First Nations Experience, a nonprofit television network in California while taking part in the March 2024 Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“We were just talking about it because we were excited about it,” Tom added.

Shortly after, FNXTV had gotten back with them and told Tom and Begay they would finically help their project.

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