Georgina is a First Nations film director, screenwriter, and actress. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, she is an enrolled member of the Samson Cree Nation. She was raised off-reserve, near the Samson community in Edmonton, Alberta. She co-founded Tribal Alliance Productions, , as a means to create opportunities for Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous filmmakers. In 2008 Lightning became the first North American Indigenous Woman to direct a major feature film. She based the film on her father's experience with the Canadian Indian residential school system and other personal family stories. Lightning is an outspoken advocate for First Nations and Native American causes, working towards a greater appreciation and awareness of the intrinsic value of North American Indigenous cultures to not only Indigenous people themselves, but to society in general.