CNFO Celebrates Cherokee National Holiday With Drive-In Movie Nights

It’s three nights of Cherokee films for free!

Buckle up and grab your snacks! The Cherokee Nation Film Office is bringing you Cherokee content in a drive-in style movie event. It’s the Inaugural Drive-In Movie Nights Presented by the Cherokee Nation Film Office during the 68th Annual Cherokee National Holiday. It’s a big name for a big event! It’s all happening Sept. 3-5 at 8 p.m. at One Fire Field in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Before we go into all the details and GREAT films coming your way, let’s first explain what Cherokee National Holiday is. The yearly event commemorates the signing of the Cherokee Nation Constitution in 1839, which reestablished the tribe’s government in Indian Territory after forced removal from the Cherokees’ original homelands in the Southeast. Traditionally, the Cherokee National Holiday draws more than 100,000 visitors from both Oklahoma and out of state on Labor Day weekend. With COVID-19 still a threat to all of us, this year looks a little different.

That’s where Drive-In Movie Nights comes in! Drive-in Movie Nights is one of only two events being held in person, not virtually, at the 68th annual Cherokee National Holiday. This event not only allows us to gather as a community from a safe distance, but to celebrate culture and film.

Excited? We are too.

So, here’s how it works and everything you need to know:

Drive-In Movie Nights allows you to watch films projected onto a jumbo screen from the safety of your vehicle. Bring a radio so you can hear! We’ll be pumping sound into your speakers from an FM radio dial.

As for the content, you’re about to be blown away! It’s all about Cherokee people, both in-front-of and behind the camera.

CNFO has carefully curated three nights of entertainment just for you. That includes the world premiere and the highly anticipated Cherokee cartoon “Inage’i.” It’s so good even Reddit is talking about it. The story follows the adventures of four animal friends who live together in the forest of Turtle Island, and you’ll be able to see it before anyone else. You’ll also get a one-time only viewing of the first episode of the award-winning docuseries “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People,” which showcases Cherokee stories, people and culture.