THE SEVENTH FIRE A film by Jack Pettibone Riccobono

Transcription

1 Terrence Malick and Natalie Portman present THE SEVENTH FIRE A film by Jack Pettibone Riccobono A fascinating and important documentary. Hollywood Reporter USA / 2015 / Documentary / English 78 min / 1: 1.85 / Stereo 5.1 Opens at The Metrograph in NY on July 22 nd and at the Laemmle Royal in LA on July 29th Press Contact: Julia Pacetti JMP Verdant Communications (718) julia@jmpverdant.com Film Movement Contacts: Press: Genevieve Villaflor (212) x215 genevieve@filmmovement.com Theatrical: Clemence Taillandier (212) x301 theatrical@filmmovement.com Festivals/Non-Theatrical: Maxwell Wolkin (212) x211 maxwell@filmmovement.com

2 SELECTED PRESS Eye-opening, unsettling yet highly compassionate filmmaking; this fire is destined to burn itself deep into the memory. David Poole, Critics-Associated **** Tom Huddleston, Time Out London Brave Dan Mecca, The Film Stage Beautifully crafted. Jonathan Lim, Candid Magazine An important and timely film gives a mouthpiece, or at least a lens, to people who have little chance to express themselves elsewhere. Sarah Rutterford, The Upcoming "Powerful and haunting" Clive Botting, The Huffington Post "Phenomenal...A new side of gang culture." Susannah Edelbaum, The Credits A sharply pertinent observation from a voice that more than deserves a hearing. Trevor Johnston, Sight & Sound 2

3 FULL SYNOPSIS Rob's 37-year story spans 39 foster homes, five trips to prison, and a near lifelong affiliation with the Native Gangster Disciples, a criminal gang that he has helped bring to Pine Point also known as P- Town a small Native village in northern Minnesota on the White Earth Indian Reservation. Rob is more than a gangster with a long rap sheet; he is also a loving father to his daughter Persephone, and a wickedly smart and sensitive writer who aspires to literary greatness. Late in the film, the solitude and sobriety of prison life lead to Rob's cultural awakening: he becomes the leader of the prison's Native Culture Group and begins writing a novel about his childhood, bringing a lyrical perspective to his painful and complicated story. On the cusp of his eighteenth birthday, Kevin finds himself at a different sort of crossroads; he has the opportunity to reconnect with traditional Ojibwe ways, but continues to be pulled towards the criminal lifestyle of his mentor. Early one morning, Kevin s father describes to his son the significance of their clan: Wolf clan means that s the animal we represent. Power. Intelligence. Endurance. A wolf can be passionate and it can be very destructive. At one point in the film we see Rob riding a motorcycle on the open road, a warrior choker necklace strapped proudly around his throat, knocking against the gang tattoo on his chest. At another moment we find Kevin trying to honor both his tribe and his gang affiliation by getting a wolf clan tattoo of his own. Together the lives of Rob and Kevin present a devastating counter-myth to textbook notions of the American dream, and they force us to confront the modern-day ramifications of what are still the most overlooked aspects of American history. SHORT SYNOPSIS When Rob Brown, a Native American gang leader on a remote Minnesota reservation, is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved Ojibwe community. As Rob reckons with his past, his seventeen-year-old protégé, Kevin, dreams of the future: becoming the most powerful and feared Native gangster on the reservation. LOGLINE Terrence Malick presents this haunting and visually arresting nonfiction film about the Native American gang crisis. ASSETS Official Trailer: Downloadable hi-res images: Website: 3

4 CREDITS FEATURING Robert Duane Brown Kevin Fineday, Jr. CREW Directed by Produced by Jack Pettibone Riccobono Jack Pettibone Riccobono Shane Omar Slattery-Quintanilla Jihan Robinson Joey Carey Executive Producers Terrence Malick Natalie Portman Chris Eyre Sydney Holland Erik Fleming Gavin Dougan Stefan Nowicki Lonnie Anderson Written by Cinematography by Edited by Co-Producer Bruce Kim Associate Producers Adriana Cargill Henry Rich Kelsey Koenig Music by Jack Pettibone Riccobono Shane Omar Slattery-Quintanilla Andrew Ford Jack Pettibone Riccobono Shane Omar Slattery-Quintanilla Andrew Ford Adelaide Papazoglou Michael J. Palmer Nicholas Britell 4

5 DIRECTOR S STATEMENT Jack Pettibone Riccobono 500 years before the coming of the white man to America, the Ojibwe Tribe, or Anishinaabe as they call themselves, received a prophecy that foretold a period of darkness and cultural destruction. It also spoke of a time when the youngest generation of Ojibwe would have a choice to return to traditional ways and lead a rebirth of their nation. Many Ojibwe believe that the moment of choice has arrived - the time of the Seventh Fire. This prophecy is where the film takes its name. In America and much of the world, there is a romanticized vision of the American Indian, and a total blind spot about the history of Native Americans and the injustices this community continues to suffer to this day. It is rare to see any contemporary images of Native life in the mainstream media or to see past the harsh statistics that tell only part of the story. My goal in making this film was to craft an immersive, characterdriven work of cinema that would reveal the stories of Rob and Kevin with intimacy, empathy, and urgency, and place their personal journeys in the larger context of an unjust history that America has yet to reckon with. Biography Jack Pettibone Riccobono (Director, Producer, Writer, DP) has produced and directed a wide range of work across the five boroughs of his native New York City and around the world, from Moscow to Shanghai to Freetown. His narrative short KILLER premiered at New Directors / New Films and won Best Short at the Nantucket Film Festival. His short documentary THE SACRED FOOD, shot on the same reservation as THE SEVENTH FIRE, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. Jack received a Discovery Award from the Hollywood Film Festival for his directing work. A graduate of Harvard s VES Film Production Program and Werner Herzog s Rogue Film School, his films have been screened at festivals around the world and at venues including Documenta Madrid, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the American Indian, the American University in Rome, and at The White House as part of a special event addressing the most pressing criminal justice issues facing Indian Country residents today. In 2008, Jack launched the production company All Rites Reserved, dedicated to producing films with global reach that push visual and conceptual boundaries. In 2014, Jack joined the directing roster of The Amoveo Company. THE SEVENTH FIRE is his first feature documentary. 5

6 Additional Biographies Natalie Portman (Executive Producer) Academy Award winning actress, filmmaker and philanthropist, Natalie Portman first charmed audiences at the age of thirteen in Luc Besson's 1994 film, THE PROFESSIONAL. Since then she has starred in over twenty-five films, including HEAT, BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU, ANYWHERE BUT HERE (Golden Globe nomination), WHERE THE HEART IS, COLD MOUNTAIN, GARDEN STATE, CLOSER (Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe Award), V FOR VENDETTA, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, BROTHERS, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, THOR, and George Lucas STAR WARS prequel trilogy. In 2011, she received her second Academy Award nomination and first Best Actress win for her performance in Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed film, BLACK SWAN. For her role, Portman also received a Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics Choice Award. She recently appeared in Terrence Malick s KNIGHT OF CUPS. Portman has also taken on a variety of roles behind the lens. She wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the upcoming A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS, based on the memoir by Amos Oz. Portman s other directing credits include EVE and a vignette in NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU. She is attached to produce several other feature films, including PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES based on the New York Times bestselling novel, IMPORTANT ARTIFACTS with Plan B at Paramount, and the documentary EATING ANIMALS based on the book by Jonathan Safran Foer. Chris Eyre (Executive Producer) is an award-winning director and producer of film and television, including the critically-acclaimed FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2009, 2011) and WE SHALL REMAIN (2009), a five-part PBS mini-series on the history of Native Americans, which went on to become the highest-rated Native American series-ever on television and won numerous awards. Chris Eyre began his directing career with the independent film SMOKE SIGNALS (1998, Miramax Films). With the success of SMOKE SIGNALS, Eyre became the first Native American filmmaker to make a movie with a national theatrical release. Shane Omar Slattery-Quintanilla (Writer, Producer, Co-DP) Shane is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Assistant Professor of Film at Vassar College. He wrote, shot, co-produced, and edited THE BALLAD OF ESEQUIEL HERNANDEZ, a feature documentary about the killing of an 18-year-old American high-school student by U.S. Marines. The film, narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, was broadcast nationwide by PBS in 2008 and nominated for a 2009 Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Investigative Journalism. Mr. Slattery-Quintanilla received his B.A. from Harvard College and his M.F.A. from the University of Michigan. Jihan Robinson (Producer) Jihan currently works at Netflix Originals. Previously, she worked at Pivot, Participant Media s television arm where she oversaw the development of Alternative & Unscripted Programming. Recent highlights include CESAR S LAST FAST, MARMATO, and CROSSING OVER: STORIES OF IDENTITY AND IMMIGRATION. Prior to joining Participant, Jihan worked in programming at HBO Documentary Films involved in the acquisition, development and post-production of over 50 films and 3 series. She received her B.A. in Art History and Social Science in the Arts from SUNY Purchase College and an M.A. in Arts Administration 6

7 from Columbia University. Joey Carey (Producer) and Stefan Nowicki (Executive Producer) founded Sundial Pictures in 2008 to create sophisticated, character-driven feature films and documentaries. Recent and current titles include JACK OF THE RED HEARTS, YOUTH IN OREGON, WELCOME TO LEITH, OBVIOUS CHILD, JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, PARIAH, LITTLE BIRDS, and 28 HOTEL ROOMS. Andrew Ford (Editor) Andrew Ford is a film and television editor from the UK. He moved to Montana in 2001 to edit the Emmynominated TV series Frontier House for PBS. He has since edited A WALK TO BEAUTIFUL, winner of the International Documentary Association (IDA) for best documentary feature. Also winning an Emmy and five film festival audience awards, it made the LA Times top ten films of KILLING KASZTNER premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and played theatrically in the USA, Europe and the Middle East, winning two major film festival awards. Broadcast on Storyville for the BBC in the UK. UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US enjoyed a twenty-two week theatrical run in North America, and went on to play all over the world. It was a NY Times and LA Weekly critic's pick, and was awarded the Golden Athena for Best Documentary at the Athens International Film Festival and the Noisy Cat at the Grossman Film and Wine Festival in Slovenia. Broadcast on the Sundance channel. His films have also played at the Louvre in Paris, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, the Rubin Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Andrew lives in Brooklyn, New York. Michael J. Palmer (Editor) is based in Brooklyn, New York. After cutting his teeth as first assistant editor on Martin Scorsese s Emmy -winning GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, Michael was one of three editors on HISTORY OF THE EAGLES, a two-part chronicle of the legendary rock band directed by Alison Ellwood and produced by Oscar winner Alex Gibney. He returned to work with Scorsese and his longtime documentary collaborator David Tedeschi -- this time as editor -- on THE 50 YEAR ARGUMENT, a profile of The New York Review of Books and its pantheon of superstar contributors. In addition to celebrating the World Premiere of THE SEVENTH FIRE at the 2015 Berlinale, Michael also finished editing the Gibney-directed feature doc STEVE JOBS: MAN IN THE MACHINE, which premiered at 2015 SXSW and was released by Magnolia Pictures and CNN. Adelaide Papazoglou (Editor) Adelaide studied filmmaking in the Visual and Environmental Studies Department's film production program at Harvard, where she learned to cut film on a Steenbeck flatbed and developed a taste for nonfiction film editing. Her film credits include commercial spots, shorts, music videos, experimental films and features, which have screened in theaters and on television screens worldwide. She currently works out of San Francisco, California. Nicholas Britell (Composer) Nicholas is an award-winning composer, pianist, and producer. His music featured prominently in director Steve McQueen s Oscar-winning film 12 YEARS A SLAVE, for which he composed and arranged the on camera music including the violin performances, spiritual songs, work songs, and dances. Britell recently finished scoring Adam McKay s Golden Globe-nominated film THE BIG SHORT, based on Michael Lewis book about the housing and credit bubbles of the 2000s and the subsequent 2008 financial crisis. Britell s work and projects have been highlighted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, New York Magazine, and Vogue, which called him among the most talented young 7

8 artists at work. He also recently finished the score for Natalie Portman s directorial debut feature film A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS which was selected for a special screening at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Britell wrote the score for the film GIMME THE LOOT (directed by Adam Leon), which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in March 2012 and was an Official Selection for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard). He was awarded the Henry Mancini Fellowship from the ASCAP Foundation in December 2012 and also won the ASCAP/Doddle Award for Collaborative Achievement. Britell serves on the executive board of L.A. Dance Project and is Chairman of the New York-based Decoda Ensemble, the first-ever affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS 2015 Berlin International Film Festival World Premiere 2015 Santa Fe Independent Film Festival North American Premiere 2015 Stockholm International Film Festival 2015 East End Film Festival 2015 Documenta Madrid 2015 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 2015 Buffalo International Film Festival 2015 New Orleans Film Festival 2015 Cinema Verite Film Festival 2015 Mar del Plata Film Festival 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival 2016 Palm Springs International 2016 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2016 Big Muddy Film Festival 2016 Ashland Independent Film Festival 2016 Native Crossroads Flm Festival 2016 Minneapolis/SP International Film Festival About Film Movement Launched in 2002, Film Movement is a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films, based in New York City. Film Movement has released more than 250 feature films and shorts from 50 countries on six continents, including the recent Academy Award-nominated film THEEB, and other top prize winners from Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, Tribeca and other prestigious festivals. Together with two imprints, Omnibus Entertainment and Film Movement Classics, Film Movement releases its films through numerous distribution channels, including hundreds of arthouse cinemas, universities and libraries; home video; television outlets; Cable Video on Demand; Inflight Entertainment; broadband outlets; and its original film subscription club. For more information, please visit 8