The Palast Investigative Fund Presents
Elise Paschen
In Her Own Words
Celebrating the Work of Osage Poet Elise Paschen and the Legacy of the Tallchief Family
A powerful new documentary, Elise Paschen: In Her Own Words, profiles acclaimed Osage poet and Poetry in Motion co-founder Elise Paschen, while honoring her family’s extraordinary legacy.
Through rare archival images, in-depth original interview footage, and Paschen’s own evocative poetry, the film explores her heritage as the daughter of Osage prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, the family’s journey from the heart of Fairfax, Oklahoma to the world stage, and the cultural weight carried across the generations.
The documentary connects the Tallchief family’s rise to artistic acclaim against the haunting backdrop of the Reign of Terror — a dark chapter recently brought to widespread attention by the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated film Killers of the Flower Moon, whose title was inspired by a line from Paschen’s poem Wi’-gi-e.
The film was created primarily for non-commercial, educational purposes by the Palast Investigative Fund, produced under the non-profit Sustainable Markets Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The project aims to serve as an enduring cultural resource. In honoring Elise and Maria’s legacy, the documentary also honors the culture and endurance of the Osage Nation.
A 10 minuted edit of the film premiered at the International Poetry Film Festival, held at the Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Los Angeles, CA on April 25, 2026, where it won the award for Best Documentary.
The film earned an Honorable Mention at the prestigious My Hero International Short Film Festival, which aims to celebrate “the best of humanity, one story at a time.”
It is also an Official Selection at the 2026 Latino and Native American Film Festival, fitting perfectly with the theme for this year’s event: “Our Stories, Our Voices: Resilience and Self-Determination”.
