German film on South Dakota monuments

German filmmakers complete documentary in Hills, on reservation

By Jomay SteenA two-man crew recently completed filming a documentary about three famous South Dakota monuments and memorials and how people relate to them. The German filmmakers believe they will have it ready for distribution by next summer.

Producer and co-directors Tim Gruenewald and Ludwig Schmidtpeter, who also handled visuals, camera and sound, had arrived in western South Dakota nearly three weeks ago to begin filming at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial and the Wounded Knee monument on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

"Everyone adds a little something in the relationship to the places," Gruenwald said.

He and Schmidtpeter wanted to know how various stakeholders and people from the communities related to the memorials and monument as well as how they function and relate to one another.Comment:  For more on Germans and Indians, see Germans Film Pilgrims in Salem and Foreigners Have Native Affinity. For more on documentary films, see Native Documentaries and News.