Author Topic: Filmproject  (Read 21403 times)

Offline vikinglady

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Filmproject
« on: February 01, 2006, 04:32:46 pm »
Since June last year I´ve had the idea of making a documentary film about the exploitation, the violation of spirituality and the issues that Natives of today face. Funny enough I happened to run into a cameraman who liked the idea and so we started to work on the script. Over here TV has got to say yes to the project otherwise it´s almost impossible to get fundings and it is extremely hard to get their approval. But after having rewritten the script endless times, some weeks ago we got a "yes"! Unbelievable!

TV only finances 40% of the costs so now we have until 27th of May to come up with the rest of the fundings or they will pull back the offer. It´s very tough! The film will be called "Spirits for Sale" and will be shot mostly in the US, and the three persons figuring in the film will be Trisha, Al and Arvol Looking Horse. (Who will end the film by saying "Spirits are NOT for sale!!")

TV reckons they will be able to sell it to countries all over Europe and has planned airing it in the spring of 2007 with the first show at the Scandinavian Film Festival in January.

So - because I am getting pretty desperate here and would hate to see this go down the drain - if anyone has got any bright ideas of filmproducers or people in media or any other organisations willing to co-produce, pleaseeeee let me know! The clock is ticking. This film would mean so much for informing Europeans about the harm being done to Natives.

Thanks!
Annika

Offline 180IQ

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2006, 06:34:42 pm »
I am so glad to hear that this opportunity has come up and very hopeful the funding can be found. One thing for sure I can say don't look to Robert Redford or Kevin Costner for help.

I would say get Al to send your message as a Special Notice to the Yahoo NAFPS group and try to get the owner of NDN-AIM (Barnaby knows her, Dodie Finstead) and similar groups to send it out to their members the same way.

I'll do my best to find more resources for you to get the word out. For starters I am emailing the entire membership of this forum about it.

So far I've never used that function so I'm not sure how well it works. Some of you who read this please let me know if you got the message - the Subject line says "Urgent Update: Important Film Project".

Please keep us updated on progress!

Thanks.


« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 12:00:00 am by admin »

Offline vikinglady

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2006, 06:56:57 pm »
THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

We´re doing everything we possibly can over here to find fundings but I think we need help from just about everywhere to pull this through. I have my regular job to attend to so it´s hard to find the time you need.

I have, however, got a couple of contacts through Arvol and Paula, so I´m trying them out. We´d probably need more than one Assistant Producer anyway.

The Project is available in writing should anyone want details.  I´ll keep you updated for sure..:)

Annika

Offline 180IQ

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2006, 08:04:15 pm »
Please send me whatever you have in writing so I can read it in case I find possible good contacts for you and they want to know more.

Also, although I am in the process of moving house I will make time to go over it in case I see possibilities to improve or add to it. Although creative writing is very hard for me (I can write if I have to but don't especially enjoy the process) editing and polishing is not so difficult.

I've been thinking of doing this kind of thing for a long time, too, but without the time and no idea where to find the talent and money to see it through. I have some ideas that could tie into what you have proposed, if they are not already there. One idea in particular that I'd like to share with you. Check your PM inbox in a while....


Offline JakeAl

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2006, 06:43:36 pm »
As a practitioner of Lakota/Dakota/Native spirituality, as an enrolled member of Dakota and Assiniboine nations, as the father of 2 Indian children, as the husband of a Indian woman, as a individual who has addressed these issues at some personal cost, please find below my unsolicited input regarding the email broadcast I received regarding this topic.

Having interacted with high level (their terminology) television executives in America and personally requested that they fund and support an advisory panel regarding Native issues and concerns, I can tell you that they are absolutely not supportive of any such agendas here or elsewhere. These American broadcast corporate giants have tentacles that encircle the globe and I am curious how much influence they will have over their European cousins. When protesting major network broadcast content designed to ignore native rights, one network representatives response was that they (the networks) have and obligation to report information that was in the public interest. When Native interests sought to publicize native viewpoints, they were ignored and shunned. Somehow, only the white/American network people's viewpoints, propaganda and agendas to demonize native interests, are in the public interest.

Today, we have white folks and Uncle Tomahawks who claim to support Native issues and viewpoints. These are often the same people running the governmental affairs of the BIA etc. They have manufactured programs and agendas that rarely reflect justice for Indian people. These white folks who claim to support Native issues and viewpoints have placed themselves in leadership and policy making positions in order to continue supporting non-Natives entities that profit monetarily from the exploitation of everything Native.

Perhaps, in your efforts to dissuade European people and others from appropriating, exploiting and bastardizing Native culture and people, you might also petition those Euros who have, or are considering immigrating here, to request that they return to their respective cultures/lands and stop occupying native lands.

I realize that some might consider such a request racist and outrageous ... I acknowledge that equality and justice are quite extravagant requests to a country and world steeped in and built upon the tenets of institutional colonial racism. Nonetheless, recognizing and granting Natives America its rights, is a fair way to deliver truth and untangle the web of evil lies of evil empires disguised as colonial saviors.

Good Luck and Best Regards

Offline vikinglady

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2006, 07:56:33 pm »
Hi JakeAl, nice to hear from you.

I´ve just been in contact with Native producers this far. And yes, I will most definitely stay away from the big corporations. Can´t see them approving of what we´re doing anyway.

We´re trying to find more European producers, they have no wish what so ever to show American Indians in a bad light. Rather the opposite.  Just heard that Denmark was interested and they also thought it would sell in Germany, Belgium and Holland.

And I must say, there are some lovely people around. I have had lots of wonderful emails from non-Natives saying "please, please make that film so that Natives finally can get their voices heard!" and so they have sent me 10 USD. Or one guy sent me 60 USD. :))  It´s lovely...! Won´t go far, but still...

Annika

Offline JakeAl

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2006, 02:35:16 am »
Barry Zevan produced a documentary for The Indian Land Tenure Foundation. I've seen it and it was well done. Perhaps this could be a resource for you.

Quote
Barry ZeVan,
Writer-director Barry ZeVan, who is based in Minneapolis, has garnered three Emmy nominations for numerous other documentaries to his credit; his work has been shown on HBO, PBS and Bravo. His credits include consulting executive producer for “The Remarkable 20 th Century.???



ZeVan can be contacted through Chris Stainbrook on the Foundations website. Stainbrook may be able to help you as well.
cstainbrook@indianlandtenure.org


http://www.indianlandtenure.org/announcements/announcements.htm




walking-soft

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2006, 08:51:35 pm »
Just a couple of questions concerning the documentary.

You mentioned Native producers could you post the name of these Native producers?

You also mentioned European producers and would you also post there name.

The selling of this documentary to these different places is there a projected amoumt as to what this film will sell for and if there is a profit where will the profits go?

I admit I am skeptical when it comes to movies concerning Native Americans and exectly what will be in this documetary? Where are you going to obtain the accurate information concerning Native Americans and will this entail all tribes? I guess I am asking for your resources? I tend to believe the way the Lakota brother spoke in his post. So if you could answer some of these questions it would help.     Thanks

Offline sox

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2006, 11:27:53 pm »
Annika:

I'm at the British Museum this weekend at a Native Film Festival http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/filmfestival/index.html

I'm going to print up the email I was sent from the forum and pass it on to anyone who might be able to help... (shame I didn't have any with me tonight, Sir David Attenborough was there....)

bobby
"Trust me, I'm a professional"

Offline vikinglady

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2006, 09:40:07 pm »
JakeAl:

Thanks a lot, I will put Barry Zevan on my list for people to contact. :)

Bobby:

THANKS! That sounds great! :))

Walking-soft:

We have no other producer than Swedish TV right now, I´m trying with some of Arvol´s contacts. One of them has in her turn contacts with TV in Canada.
I´ve been in contact with Trickster Films in Texas, Rich-Heapes Films, Chris Peters from 7th Generation Funds, Sacred Land Film Project - got some others on my list. I haven´t had time to go through them all yet.

Producers in Europe would be TV in different countries.

The producers get the profit. Otherwise they wouldn´t put up all that money.... I don´t know anything about the filmbusiness, all I know is that it is v-e-r-y little money in making documentaries. Most filmguys make their films for hardly nothing - just the cost paid for. TV is taking the risk, if they can´t sell it to anyone, they loose all the money they put down on it. That´s why it is so hard to get TV to approve ot these kind of projects.

There will only be Natives in the film, I am sure they will provide accurate information. And they will ,of course, just speak for their own culture. We only have 58 minutes so it is impossible to cover everything but that´s one of the goals of the film - to make people realize that there are more than 500 different cultures with different beliefs and traditions.

Annika

Offline vikinglady

  • Posts: 109
Re: Filmproject
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2006, 10:29:23 am »
I am so glad to inform you that we now have a Native co-producer to the film! He is a relative of Arvol´s and has produced several films before, some of them dealing with the abuse of spirituality.

This is great, especially since the co-producers are Lakota and they will see to that everything is done in a correct way. I am sure they will also be helpful with contacts. This means that the Native producer will have all the rights to the film in the US and so gets all the profit from it over there :)  

There are fundings available in the States for this project and we are slowly getting there, having covered about 70% of the costs. 2 1/2 months to go....

Annika

Offline Freija

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2006, 08:17:27 pm »
Just to let you know that the documentary will be made ! ? :) :)

We´ll be leaving Sweden about 12th June to spend a month in South Dakota. It might be possible to make a separate film about Bear Butte - we will definitely be there for the 4th July and take the opportunity to talk to medicinepeople and activists. Other than that we will follow Arvol around for some other events, he will introduce us to people who can help us along and then we will just see where the film takes us....

Our plan is to go back to Sweden for some weeks in July, do some editing and then go to TX and AZ in August. It might be that we´ll go back to Sturgis in August to get the bikers on film.

I must say that this feels very exciting - as far as I know a film like this has not been made in Europe and knowing that a lot of the abuse is done due to lack of information, I think this film could make a big change and hopefully cut down on the cashflow for the exploiters. But it is also a bit scary - it´s a very big responsibility and I am more than grateful that so many well respected Native people will be involved in the production. I hope and trust that the film will lead us in the right direction and that something great and wonderful will come out of this!

We will do the best we can to show the world what Natives think about the abuse of spirituality and sacred places!!


Offline Sparks

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Re: Filmproject
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2019, 02:17:48 am »
Since June last year I´ve had the idea of making a documentary film about the exploitation, the violation of spirituality and the issues that Natives of today face.
[…]
The film will be called "Spirits for Sale" and will be shot mostly in the US, and the three persons figuring in the film will be Trisha, Al and Arvol Looking Horse. (Who will end the film by saying "Spirits are NOT for sale!!")

For background purposes there are several threads about Spirits for Sale:

http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1119  (Main thread …)
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=560
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1529
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1790
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1935
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2020
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2111
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2332

The often referred to site www.spiritsforsale.com has been replaced by
http://www.folkejohansson.se/folkejohansson.se/SPIRITS_FOR_SALE.html