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'Moonhair' first U.S. movie with all Indian cast

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Tuesday, 01 February 2011

'Moonhair' first U.S. movie with all Indian cast February 1, 2011 BROWNING — At book signings for his story "Shoot Minnie Shoot" about the 1904 Fort Shaw basketball team, Jack "Happy" Feder was thanked time and again for portraying Native Americans in a positive light. The comments inspired him to write a mythic adventure movie set during the Dog Days, but told in a modern-style to appeal to today's teens. Once complete, "Moonhair" will be the first American movie with an all Native American cast. "People were so tired of films and books that showed the dire side of life on a reservation," Feder said. "My goal was not to have a political message — just to have an adventure." Inspired by traditional Native American myths, the story is an original tale of a woman with shocking white hair that carries untold powers. Moonhair must take a fantastical and often dangerous adventure as she tries to retrieve her tribe's Singing Buffalo Stone from an evil neighboring tribe the Dung Eaters. Without the stone, the tribe can't hunt and will perish. A trickster god creates problems for but Moonhair gets help from a man named Easy Runner whom she meets along the way. Though neither of the tribes in the screenplay is real, Feder based much of the myth on Blackfeet history and folklore. Feder credits Harold Ernest Gray, Long Standing Bear Chief, a longtime teacher and Indian advocate. Unfortunately, Long Standing Bear Chief died shortly after filming of the movie ended. Feder said he plans to pay tribute to Long Standing Bear Chief in the film's credits. While the three lead roles feature rising stars, roughly half the 20-person cast are Browning-based actors. The title role is being played by Natasha Kaye Johnson, who was a best actress nominee at the 2007 American Indian Film Festival, and her love interest is played by Meegwun Fairbrother, who is the lead actor in "Time Traveler" on Canada's Aboriginal People's Television Network. Feder enlisted former CNN journalist Thomas Nybo as the camera man. The Rocky Mountain Front will also be a featured character as the movie was shot near Choteau, Augusta and on the Blackfeet Reservation. The film is a "no budget" movie by Hollywood standards, meaning it cost less than $100,000 to make. Many in the cast made their own costumes. Fortunately, some already had traditional clothes that they wear in Native dance performances and competitions. On many days, the actors and crew worked for 14 to 16 hours. Feder recounted one miserable night setting up tepees and removing cow dung until 3 a.m. "This was not a glamorous life," he joked. "This is not what Steven Spielberg would have to do." Much of the budget will pay for special effects. While filming wrapped up at the end of September, Feder said the editing process is lengthy due in part to the movie magic being added post production. Many of the scenes were shot with a combination of super speed and stop-motion. Furthering the film's modern style is a soundtrack that Feder describes as techno-powwow. He recently finished a 44-second teaser, which he shopped around at the Sundance Film Festival last week. Feder said he was surprised at the interest from foreign movie producers in Rwanda and India. He hopes to complete editing in the next three months and then see if the contacts made at Sundance will pay off in getting the movie distributed. His goal isn't to make much money, but he'd like to recoup what's been invested. Eventually, he'd like to screen it in Montana. To see the film teaser, go online to www.moonhairfilms.com. CHESTER — Just 12-by-16 feet, the new shed outside Chester-Joplin-Inverness school is a humble structure, but its construction demonstrates a great partnership and the growth of the school's career and technology education program. Teacher Gail Shatkus said the students started with little to no construction experience. Home Depot awarded the school a North Central Montana Resource Conservation and Development Areas grant last spring which allowed C-J-I to purchase survey equipment, a wide format printer, updated computer programs, construction tools and other equipment. With the new technology and equipment, the students teamed up with Chester's Western Lumber, which loaned the school a completed shed for students to measure and create working drawings using Computer Assisted Design software. The students used the drawings to guide them as they measured, cut, staged and installed floor joists, walls, roofs, rafters, sheeting, metal sheeting, a double door and electrical wiring. The project represents the first time that CJI students experienced the design and build process to complete a construction project. Students turned the completed shed over to Western Lumber, whose employees also coached the students when needed. Western Lumber awarded the top two students, Lonnie Cady and Michelle Spicher with tools in recognition for their quality work. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110201/NEWS01/102010308/

 

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