The Jingle Dress

Cinema | November 12th, 2015

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the award-winning film "The Jingle Dress" will play at the Fargo Theatre, Friday, Nov. 13, for two showings -- one at 7:30 p.m. and another at 9:30 p.m. The screenings are sponsored in part by the City of Fargo's Native American Commission. The film received funding from the Legacy Arts and Cultural Heritage Production Reimbursement Program.

The director, writer and producer of the film, William Eigen ("Sing Your Song," "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song"), will be available for a Fargo Native American Commission-sponsored Q-and-A following both showings. Eigen has also recently completed the documentary "Pete and Toshi Get a Camera," featuring singer-songwriter Pete Seeger.

“The Jingle Dress” tells the story of the fictional Red Elk family from the White Earth Nation. Eigen describes the film as "a contemporary story of a Native American family that moves from its rural home on the reservation in northern Minnesota to the faster-paced urban environment of Minneapolis." The audience follows the family "as they experience city culture through their unvarnished perspective, as well as gain insight into their indigenous culture and traditions." Much of the movie is told from the viewpoint of 8-year-old Rose, portrayed by S-Nya Sanchez-Hohenstein. Filming occurred on Nicollet Island on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis-St. Paul from 2013-14. The film recently received the award for "Best Story" at the 2015 Tribal Film Festival.

“The Jingle Dress” features a Native American cast from many tribes, including actors with heritage from Ojibwe, Blackfeet, Mohawk, Lakota, Nez Perce, Creek and Cherokee tribes. Some of the cast include Stacey Thunder ("Cold Feet," host of "Native Report"), Chaske Spencer ("The Twilight Saga," "Banshee"), Steve Reevis ("Fargo," "Dances with Wolves"), Kimberly Guerrero ("Longmire," "Hidalgo") and introducing Mauricimo and S’Nya Sanchez-Hohenstein.

Eigen describes the cast as “an interesting mix of highly trained actors and non-actors.”

“Two of our leads, Mo and S'nya were 10 and 14-years-old from Standing Rock Reservation and had never acted before,” Eigen says. “There are different ways to work with the non-actors to get what you need, and our cast gave it their all, with everyone helping everyone and in the end, everyone gave lovely performances.”

Eigen, who is not Native American, says his biggest concern with the film was to “have the Native American community like it. Everything else was secondary. I had Native friends read and vet my script. There were nuances about sacred ceremonies that I had no idea about. The part that is daunting about the project is some Native film festivals won't allow the film because a Native did not produce or direct it. It's a shame for the rest of the crew and actors that are Native and couldn't get the recognition they deserve.”

For Eigen, the film’s message is “we are all more alike than we might think. Let's embrace the distinctions of other cultures. We're all trying to get along in this life and everyone puts their own little spin on how we should do it. Throughout the world, people have deep histories/customs/mores, and it makes them special. Let's revel in the differences.”

IF YOU GO:

"The Jingle Dress" screening and Q-and-A

Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.; 9:30 p.m.

Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N.

RECENTLY IN

Recently in: