Frozen River - Melissa Leo and Misty Upham on Stereotypes

BlackTree TV Host Jessica Boyd, sits down with the stars from the film Frozen River, which made a lot of noise at this years Sundance Film Festival.

S H O R T S Y N O P S I S
Frozen River is the story of Ray Eddy, an upstate New York trailer mom who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl who lives on a reservation that straddles the US-Canadian border. Broke after her husband takes off with the down payment for their new doublewide, Ray reluctantly teams up with Lila, a smuggler, and the two begin making runs across the frozen St. Lawrence River carrying illegal Chinese and Pakistani immigrants in the trunk of Ray's Dodge Spirit.
D I R E C T O R'S S T A T E M E N T
I wrote this film after learning about women smugglers at the border of New York State and Canada who drive their cars across the frozen St. Lawrence River to make money to support their kids. The risk involved compelled me to write a story, not only about smuggling at the northern border, but also about what life circumstances would lead someone to take such chances. What I discovered was that a mother's instinct to protect her children is more powerful than any cultural, political or economic boundary line. Melissa Leo (Ray) and Misty Upham (Lila) embodied the unheralded struggle of single mothers of all ethnicities who are living on the edge.
A B O U T T H E P R O D U C T I O N
Shot on the Panasonic Varicam in 24 days, in sub-zero weather in Plattsburgh, New York with a bare-bones budget, the production of Frozen River depended on many things going right. Weather was a constant factor and the crew braved fierce cold and night shoots to get the footage and make our days. The actors, many of whom were first timers, showed commitment on the level of professionals and the professionals, especially Melissa Leo, led them with generosity of spirit and great skill. The other enormous factor was the participation of the people of Plattsburgh, New York, who supported us in a thousand ways and ultimately gave Frozen River a home.

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Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• filmmaker
• reel
• interview
• trailer
• Melissa
• Leo
• Misty
• Upham
• Native
• Americans
• Immigration
• Border
• Patrol
• smuggling

[phyoewaihtoon]

i m wondering why Misty was not in the oscar nomination list , nice performance ,yeah?

[FrenchyKnight]

Melissa Leo is now acting in Lowell,MA, in the movie "The Fighter", story of Mickey Ward and Dicky Eklund. She plays the role of their Mother Alice.

Today and yesterday, I had the privilege to see her acting on the set. ( I was so happy to be there as an extra). She is really really good.  I can't wait to see that movie , scheduled in theater for 2011.

Meanwhile, I'll go see "Frozen river".

[CitySkin09]

Misty Upham is hot...

[morrisrtoledo]

@phyoewaihtoon

she is the person who holds the story together.

[FrenchyKnight]

The movies "the fighter" , where Melissa Leo plays the mother of Mickey Ward, is planned to be out in Fall 2010.

[mhaze210]

same experience lol, it was awesome...and also online theres clips of behind the scenes footage of other neighborhood scenes......and she is AMAZING in it.

[BrittPhillips]

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[BlooChicken]

Simpering simpleton! Is this interviewer for real, or did they just let her out of prekindergarten for the morning session? These actresses deserve a better quality journalist than this! They display THEIR classy quality in indulging this childish amateur. Her interviewing skills are very low.; it speaks to the calibre of these two fine actresses that they smoothe over the lapses to cover for the lack of preparation and practice on the part of the interviewer. Best film this year!.

[independentstate]

excellent performance from a new favorite actor.