VERONA,
N.Y. - "Raccoon & Crawfish," the first Oneida legend
brought to life through animation by Four Directions Productions,
is now on sale in Central New York.
The
Oneida Indian Nation's award-winning animated short, which has received
national and international acclaim, is available for sale at Oneida
Sky, a gallery-style retail shop featuring authentic American Indian
art and craft at Turning Stone Resort Casino, all 12 Sa-vOn Convenience
Stores, as well as at the Oneida Nation's Shako:wi Cultural Center.
"Raccoon
& Crawfish" is a centuries-old Oneida legend that focuses
on the moral that lying is bad and has consequences. The 11-minute
animated short is introduced as it would have hundreds of years
ago; with an Oneida elder telling the legend to an Oneida child.
"Raccoon
& Crawfish" is available in two formats: DVD only for $4.95;
and DVD with a glossy book for $19.95.
"We
are proud to be able to share the wonderful legend of 'Raccoon and
Crawfish' with the public," said Nation Representative and
Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter. "It is through these types
of legends, that the Oneidas and other Iroquois people learned life
lessons as children since time immemorial. Today, we are preserving
them for future generations, as well as helping non-Indians learn
about our culture and history through these entertaining and dynamic
platforms."
He
added, "Like our Oneida exhibit at the Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American Indian and our float in recent years in the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, this animated short is another avenue
for sharing our culture and bringing to life the Oneida story for
future generations of all people."
In
April 2007, the Indigenous operation premiered its first animated
short, "Raccoon & Crawfish," at the Syracuse International
Film Festival.
That
production went on to win awards at 18 festivals around the world
over the past two years, including the prestigious Moondance Festival
(2007) in Los Angeles, the International Film Festival of England
(2008) and the Las Vegas International Film Festival (2009), as
well as being screened at the renowned Cannes Festival in France
in May 2008.
Four
Directions Productions has started work on its second animated short-which
is scheduled to be completed in late 2011. Once again, the award-winning
studio is taking one of the ancient legends of the Iroquois and
bringing it to life through animation. The upcoming animated short,
"My Home," focuses on a belief especially important to
American Indians; the care and protection of Mother Earth. The key
characters in this animation are an ambitious but environmentally
untidy beaver and a turtle that takes her role seriously as a caretaker
of the environment.
The
Oneida Nation's Four Directions Productions, a 3D animation/HD cinematography
studio, is located on Nation lands near Sherrill, N.Y. For more
information, go to www.fourdirectionsproductions.com
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