Fwd: [NativeNews] Navajo Nation film office being proposed

 

ForCERTAIN62@aol.com wrote:

To: Natnews@yahoogroups.com
From: ForCERTAIN62@aol.com
Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 07:05:30 EDT
Subject: [NativeNews] Navajo Nation film office being proposed

Navajo Nation film office being proposed

By Jim Maniaci
Dine Bureau
From: May 24, 2005

http://www.gallupindependent.com/2005/may/052405nnfilm.html

WINDOW ROCK In its search for ways to establish new jobs, the Navajo Nation
may seek to establish an office to assist the movie industry with aspiring
Dine actors, technicians and producers.

Friday Vice President Frank Dayish Jr. conducted telephone conference calls
with Navajo producer Elsa Johnson, Navajo actor Dyron C. Thompson and
actor-director Rick Schroeder.

The vice president wants to establish the office using a bank of data about
not only locations, but of which Navajos have which skills to assist Hollywood
when inquiries come to the president's office.

"We want to help more Navajos find high-paying jobs, not just as actors, but
as technicians, trainers. But it will take incentives and aggressive
recruiting. They are crucial to have a work force to handle film projects," he
explained.

Dayish said that while mining, manufacturing and agriculture are the big
three segments of economic development, there are also industries which do not fit
into those three categories, such as making movies and commercials. He notes
that with each job started by one of the big three, another three service jobs
are established.

In recent years, he said producers have repeatedly said they love to come to
Navajoland, but there aren't enough qualified people.

Elsa Johnson's thoughts

Johnson called establishing such an office "an excellent idea. If you put
together a comprehensive work force program, it would be so much easier" for
producers. She also called the Navajo Reservation "film friendly."

She thinks actors and producers would be willing to volunteer or accept a
small stipend to put on workshops for aspiring Navajo actors and technicians.
"It's fine time we do this," she urged. "People everywhere always say you can
tell a Navajo (on screen). They possess thesemannerisms. Our accent is unique,
with certain nuances and idiosyncrasies we possess that can only be captured by
a Navajo," she said.

Johnson indicated an increasing interest in North American Indian
participation in the industry.

"We need to get out of the old 1950s stigma, to work to undo that. This can
be part of the force that unravels the stigma of the screaming Indian on
horseback portrayed by a Hispanic actor. There is so much Native American talent
that is untapped," she said.

Travis Hamilton of the documentary and narrative film-making company Holt
Hamilton Productions in Mesa, Ariz., added, "She said it all. I know there is
talent out there. It might be rough on the edges. But I know Navajos need to play
Navajos."

Johnson followed up on that saying, "Even unseasoned actors sometimes are the
best. Sometimes it helps to get people as they are; they are in their realm."


Dyron Thompson's thoughts

In summary, Thompson urged the Navajo government to become more active in
advance, rather than scrambling around to find answers.

Thompson, who is half Navajo and half Muskogee Creek, has a part in Friday's
upcoming debut of "The Longest Yard," a remake of a picture that starred Burt
Reynolds as a convict who leads the prisoners to a football game victory over
the guards. Reynolds is in the new version which features Adam Sandler.

Speaking from Albuquerque, Thompson said the Navajo effort tying into New
Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's film production promotion effort would end up
"harnessing a lot of Navajo talent. It's awesome. It's about time. It's way
overdue."

Being on the set of two filmings of Tony Hillerman novels, Thompson said, "I
found I was the only Navajo on the set!" He pointed out the producers brought
in a lot of First American actors from Canada, even though "there is a lot of
talent on Navajo."

Later Dayish got Schroeder on the speaker phone and he agreed with the
effort.

"It would be wonderful to organize native and Navajo talent pools. When we
came to do 'Black Cloud' we found a lot of enthusiasm and support, but no
organized database from which to draw talent. Navajo is a great place to film, with
incredible scenery. It's beautiful and the people are very warm and embraced
us. They were very game, even though they had limited experience with the
necessary skills," Schroeder said.

He added that it is important, with the governor's film industry assistance
program, that areas other than Albuquerque get the benefits.


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