Actor
Rick Schroder's First Time Writing, Directing
Prior
Lake, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will
host a premier by invitation only ofthe movie Black Cloud on Saturday,
May 8, 2004, at the Shakopee Town Theater. A reception featuring
singer Lorrie Church will be held immediately afterwards at Lake
Casino Hotel. The movie's website describes it as, "A journey
through the passions of a young Navajo who, in his search for his
identity, discovers his true self, his destiny, and his dreams."
Actor
Rick Schroder, inspired by the true story of the challenges facing
Navajo boxer Lowell Babe, wrote the film in only eight weeks. Schroder
is known for his roles in The Champ, NYPD, Blue, Silver Spoons,
and Scrubs. Black Cloud, an independent film, was also his directorial
debut. Wanting the movie to accurately depict modern day life on
a Southwestern reservation he had two Native American friends who
served as script advisors. The movie was shot in Arizona and in
Bahe's dad's gym in the town of Chinle in less than four weeks.
With a budget of under $2.1 million the project was funded largely
by tribal nations and private Native American investors including
members from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
Eddie
Spears, Lower Brule Sioux, plays the lead role in the movie. He
also appeared in the television mini-series Dream Keeper. Country
and western singer Tim McGraw made his acting debut in the film.
Oglala Lakota Russell Means (Pocahontas, Last of the Mohicans),
Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Third Rock From The Sun), and Peter Greene
(Pulp Fiction) also appear in the film.
Black
Cloud won three major awards at the Phoenix Film Festival in April
2004 and has also debuted in Connecticut and Wisconsin. It has not
yet been released nationwide.
Singer/songwriter
Lorrie Church (Metis/Cree) will perform at the reception after the
premier, From the Sweetgrass First Nation Indian Reservation in
the province of Saskatchewan Canada, her Indian name is Wepi' Nakwa
Mek'Wanak (Grey Feathers). Lorrie has received numerous Saskatchewan
Country Music Association awards and has reached the top 40 radio
charts nationally. Lorrie has become a respected positive role model
in the Native community for her free shows for disadvantaged youth.
She has performed at the Mall of America, the SMSC , Annual Pow
Wow, and the Native American Music Festival.
-End
www.shakopeedakota.org
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