News and Events => Arts & Entertainment News => Topic started by: DriftingCrow on April 03, 2014, 10:35:54 PM Return to Full Version
Title: The Native Film Every Festival Wants
Post by: DriftingCrow on April 03, 2014, 10:35:54 PM
Post by: DriftingCrow on April 03, 2014, 10:35:54 PM
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/04/02/native-film-every-festival-wants-154289
Author: Alex Jacobs Source: Indian Country Today Media Network
Things are going well for Drunktown's Finest [and] director Sydney Freeland, who's seeing the payoff from a project that took her six years to make. Post-Sundance, she spoke with [. . .] Alex Jacobs.
Please tell us your version of this story of how the movie project started?
Growing up, I never felt that I saw any of the people or places I knew represented on film. On a really basic level, I wanted tell a story about that. However, I also wanted to show how diverse the reservation is. That led to the creation of three main characters. They all represent different communities on the rez and we get to see how they all interact and intersect with each other.
In one film you are now representing Native Americans, the reservation culture, Navajo culture, and the LGBT community, [. . .] all these groups have been misrepresented and under-represented. [. . .]
I am proud to say that I am a member of both the Native community and the LGBT community. That being said, it is very important to me to not go into my films with an agenda. [. . . ] I find it much more rewarding to try and create good stories with honest characters than it is to use filmmaking as a soapbox to espouse my own personal beliefs.
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This movie features a trans-woman, Felixia, as a main character. I think the clip shown on the first page is quite excellent, and I really want to slap that girl Kara.
And, btw, the actress who plays Felixia, Carmen Moore, is actually a transwoman (http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/01/13/carmen-moore-drunktowns-finest-story-she-knows-all-too-well-153093).
Author: Alex Jacobs Source: Indian Country Today Media Network
Things are going well for Drunktown's Finest [and] director Sydney Freeland, who's seeing the payoff from a project that took her six years to make. Post-Sundance, she spoke with [. . .] Alex Jacobs.
Please tell us your version of this story of how the movie project started?
Growing up, I never felt that I saw any of the people or places I knew represented on film. On a really basic level, I wanted tell a story about that. However, I also wanted to show how diverse the reservation is. That led to the creation of three main characters. They all represent different communities on the rez and we get to see how they all interact and intersect with each other.
In one film you are now representing Native Americans, the reservation culture, Navajo culture, and the LGBT community, [. . .] all these groups have been misrepresented and under-represented. [. . .]
I am proud to say that I am a member of both the Native community and the LGBT community. That being said, it is very important to me to not go into my films with an agenda. [. . . ] I find it much more rewarding to try and create good stories with honest characters than it is to use filmmaking as a soapbox to espouse my own personal beliefs.
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This movie features a trans-woman, Felixia, as a main character. I think the clip shown on the first page is quite excellent, and I really want to slap that girl Kara.
And, btw, the actress who plays Felixia, Carmen Moore, is actually a transwoman (http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/01/13/carmen-moore-drunktowns-finest-story-she-knows-all-too-well-153093).