A photo of a woman from the waist up to the right of a movie poster. The movie poster shows a woman wearing traditional native american clothing sitting at a desk with a piece of paper in front of her. The woman is dipping a quill into an ink well. In front of the ink well is a candle in a candle stick, and a large flat candel. To the right of the woman is an illustration of an old ship. The poser says \"Indigenous Women Through History Series\" \"Unity, Coca Jake's Dilemma\" \"DIRECTED BY DAVID H. CANNES\" \"STORY & SCREENPLAY BY SANDRA HOPE\"
The film “Unity: Cocacoeske’s Dilemma,” which shifts between 1677 and the modern-day descendants of tribes of Tsenacommacah, includes VCU alum and instructor Christina Davis among its performers.

Nov. 25, 2024

Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival has VCU spirit in front of and behind the camera

Instructor and alum Christina Davis has a prominent role in one film, and the Humanities Research Center co-sponsored the spotlight on Indigenous stories.

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By Haley Tenore

This past weekend’s Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival, which offered fresh insights into under-told narratives, featured Virginia Commonwealth University both off screen and on.

Spotlighting films made by independent, Indigenous creators, the eighth annual festival was sponsored in part by VCU’s Humanities Research Center. And the cast of one this year’s screenings – “Unity: Cocacoeske’s Dilemma” – includes two actors with strong VCU connections: alums Christina Davis and Gabriela Gomez.

Davis, a VCU advisor and instructor with the Interdisciplinary Studies program, had never acted before her role in ”Unity” but has strong and lasting ties to the Richmond Indigenous community. Her family roots touch on numerous tribes, and she said the Pocahontas Reframed festival is a chance to explore the breadth of Native stories.

“Indigenous communities aren’t a monolith,” said Davis, who earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at VCU and is now pursuing her doctorate in the School of Education, with a concentration in curriculum, culture and change.

Davis has attended the festival for several years and embraces its networking potential for Indigenous creators from around the world. At last year’s event, she met recruiters scouting for actors, and after initially being considered as an extra, the “Unity” filmmakers asked her to play a more prominent role.

In the film, descendants from Tsenacommacah, a region in Virginia’s Tidewater area, gather to explore their heritage, and the spirit of an ancestor awakens. Together, the descendants learn about Cockacoeske, also known as the Queen of Pamunkey, who lived during the 17th century.

“Unity” centers around her negotiations with European settlers, and Davis’ character, Ahyoka, is an older woman skeptical of the agreement and how it would change Indigenous lives. The film shifts between 1677 and the modern-day descendants of tribes of Tsenacommacah, who reflect on the Native experience over the centuries.