The Dead Can't Dance to premiere

Rodrick Pocowatchit’s ‘The Dead Can’t Dance’ to Have Canadian Premiere

By The Moving ArtsAward-winning Wichita filmmaker Rodrick Pocowatchit’s Native American zombie comedy “The Dead Can’t Dance” will have its international and Canadian premiere in Montreal on Saturday, June 19, at the renowned First Peoples Festival.

The film is screening in competition, and will start at 7 p.m. at Cinema DuParc in Montreal’s famous arts district.

Filmed on location in Wichita with a local cast and crew, “The Dead Can’t Dance” is the story of Dax, his brother, Ray, and nephew, Eddie, as they embark on Eddie’s journey across the Plains to become the first in his family to attend college. But along the way, the trio quickly finds their trip side-tracked in a sinister twist: Something has begun to sicken and kill everyone—everyone, that is, except them! Why are these three Comanche men—and, it turns out, a gas station attendant they meet along the way—spared the fates befalling all the others? The ensuing journey lasts the night, and it’s a tale of horror, comedy, familial love and identity that will move you—and turn your American history book on its head.Comment:  This is a good example of mainstreaming Indians--i.e., putting them in a story that has little to do with their history and culture. When movies like this become the norm, people will stop seeing Indians as exotic creatures.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.