Chad Burris

About

Chad Burris belongs to the Chickasaw Nation and is a native of Oklahoma.  Mr. Burris returned from Los Angeles in 2002, where he appeared in an Aaron Spelling Production and had a role in a feature film.  In 2001, he wrote, co-directed and produced a short film in New York City.

In 2003, he was selected by the Sundance Institute as a member of their Native Fellows program, a program dedicated toward the promotion of Natives in film. Mr. Burris was also a participant in the Sundance 2003 and 2004 Producers Lab, as part of the Native Fellowship program as well as a participant in both the 2004 and 2005 Sundance Film Festivals. 

In 2004, Mr. Burris produced the short film Goodnight Irene, which was accepted into the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival, and many other notable festivals around the world. Mr. Burris is currently in development on the feature project, Four Sheets to the Wind, written and directed by NHK Award nominee Sterlin Harjo.

Mr. Burris is a graduate of the University of Tulsa Law School, where he received his J.D. with an emphasis in Indian Law.  He was selected into the Phi Delta Phi legal honor society, placed nationally in the Native American Moot Court Competition, and was awarded outstanding J.D. student of the year for his role in community efforts.  Mr. Burris is also the president of the Oklahoma Territory Film Council and serves as a director for the non-profit organization Yuwita, whose aim is to develop and support media initiatives to increase cultural tolerance and understanding, and to defend equality.