The Stone Child Short Film PT1

After a painful divorce, Mathew, an 11-year-old Lakota Native-American boy, goes out to eat with his father, Ray, at an all-white restaurant in rural South Dakota when all hell breaks loose. Old wounds rupture, and Ray pushes Mathew further and further away, into the freedom of a new terrain -- the Badlands. Finally, desperate acts bring Mathew face to face with his own inner strengths, and with this discovery come the tools to build a kind of home only before glimpsed in dreams.

The Stone Child" Feature Film is currently looking for investors. The story takes place in Salt Lake City and Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and tells the story of an 11-year old Lakota boy struggling for identity as he is torn between the two worlds of his Mormon mother and Native-American father. The script was Shortlisted at the 2002 & 2004 Sundance Institute Feature Film Program and was awarded Quarter-Finalist at the Slamdance Script Competition and the Page International Screenwriting Awards. The Stone Child was also an Official Selection and was awarded Semi-Finalist at the 28th Annual IFP Market in New York City. The film will star Oscar-nominated actor Graham Greene whose credits include TransAmerica and Dances With Wolves, Eric Schweig Last of the Mohicans and Simon Baker Smoke Signals. Richard Halsey, Academy Award Winning editor of Rocky, will edit, and Hershel Yatovitz, lead guitarist for Chris Isaak will compose music. Chris Martini spent years researching and writing the script, which led him to Salt Lake City and Pine Ridge Reservation, where he formed a circle of allies both on and off the reservation, as well as sponsoring a Lakota child, Kestral Falcon Little. While at the IFP Market, Chris had an epiphany and quickly arranged a fundraiser in order to make a short based on the feature. The word spread through the Native community and Chris found art pouring in from Native artists all over the country, as well as Native musicians to perform. With the money raised, Chris set out for South Dakota where he shot the short version with a splinter crew, led by Larry Pourier, Skins, and shot by AFI alumni John Rotan Pearl Diver, on Super 16mm. The Stone Child short film was shot entirely with non-professional Native-American actors and was selected in 2007 and 2008 for a total of twenty-one US Film Festivals, was Nominated for Best Native-American Film at the 2008 Trail Dance Film Festival and won the Bronze Remi at the 2008 Worldfest Houston International Film Festival. The Stone Child Short Film is currently being distributed by Hastings Entertainment and is part of the permanent video collection at the Heard Museum in Arizona.

www.triplemartiniproductions.com

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Native
• American
• Coming
• of
• Age
• Lakota
• Pine
• Ridge
• Reservation
• South
• Dakota
• Boy
• Buffalo
• Badlands
• Indian
• Indigenous
• Terrence
• Malick
• 400
• Blows
• The
• Bicycle
• Thief
• De
• Sica
• Trauffaut
• Father
• Son
• Racism
• Epiphany
• Spiritual
• God
• Great
• Spirit
• Conflict
• Family
• Environment
• Powerful
• Chris
• Martini
• Christopher
• Triple
• Productions

[triplemartini]

The idea was to show a blurry line. We wanted to really portray this in a realistic way, where it is hard to tell who is right? This I believe this, is much more like life.

[llegalPlayer]

Mormons Believe The Lamanites are American Indians were Cursed Black for rebelling

"...cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing...the Lord God did cause a skin of BLACKNESS to come upon them(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 5:21)"

The American Indian Lamanites Repented so the Mormon God Turns there Skin White

"12...the Lamanites who had become converted unto the Lord...

15 And their CURSE was taken from them, and their SKIN became WHITE like unto the Nephites(Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 2:12-15)"

[triplemartini]

Great comment. Although this is not the focus of the movie, it is mentioned briefly in the Feature Film script. The focus of the feature is really the boy's struggle finding a place between these two cultures. He ultimately chooses his Native heritage, by running away to be with his father. Although it is difficult with dad, his father helps to re-connect him with his Native identity.

[llegalPlayer]

The introduction to the 1981(LDS) The Book of Mormon states,"The Lamanites are the principal ancestors of the American Indians."

LDS MORMON PROPHET Joseph Smith stated the following:

"....The Lamanites, through transgression, became a loathsome, ignorant and filthy people, and were CURSED with a SKIN of DARKNESS yet, they have the promise, if they will believe, and work righteousness...they shall become a WHITE and DELIGHTSOME people..."

:The Latter-Day Saints Millennial Star, vol. 14, p. 418 "

[triplemartini]

Excellent comment. As I mention below, this is not the focus of the film, but mentioned briefly in the Feature version. The film takes a delicate stance at not bashing the Mormons, but rather presenting them as the anti-thesis to Native culture. The boy ultimately chooses his Native culture because it is more harmonious with his true being.

[chipsischips]

@llegalPlayer our ancestors say we have always been here,we didn't come from some place else.

[SilverlineEnt]

The atmosphere is good. A very good notion and effort all round!

[Raider748]

man i was going to be in this movie, im suprised that kid looks more rez'd than me!

[Severe777]

hahaha.... this shit cracks me up, I'm from south dakota and I'm Native American, and shit like this only happens in SMALL towns, like with 50 or 100 people. lol.

[parthipananimater]

supper from india tamilnadu ( i want to help sir ) for take shot film +919047969916

[Meddy38]

It irritates me when someone is born with TWO races that they feel they have to deny one. This boy is as much white as he is American Indian. Obama is as much white as he is black, yet for some reason we in America keep forgetting that.  No wonder we still have racism. We can't even accept and see the positive in all races.

[Meddy38]

@Meddy38

In addition: White stood for purity, not a color, and we do not claim to know what the actual markings were that God placed upon the unrighteous, white, black, brown or yellow. It occurred with every race when they became unrighteous. There were Black pioneers who came across the plains to Utah with the Mississippi Mormons. They were members of the church. Joseph Smith was against slavery.

[Meddy38]

The "marks" referred to in the Book of Mormon are taught in the church not to be a specific color or race but rather symbolic of those who go against God's laws as occurred with the Jaredites, who were white. The use of "marks" & "white" in the LDS faith do not denote specific races but rather unrighteous behavior. This standard is applied to all colors regardless of race, just as in the Bible where God took the priesthood from the white Levites because they became unrighteous.

[acerb45666555]

4:15....whats wrong with him?? if the old dude got a chip on his shoulder he shouldnt drag the waitress into it! just find a custer clone and fight him. better yet, he could go to a holy man and seek guidance.