Preview of Native Dawn

Local filmmaker brings another award-winning script to the big screen

By Nathalie SewellProducer and filmmaker, Leslie Jean Porter, with the help of local talent and sponsors, is now preparing her fifth movie, "Native Dawn," which will be delivered for worldwide distribution in 2011.

"Native Dawn" is as an adventure filled romance with myth, legend & epic quality" describes Leslie. "While combining the savory ingredients of a commercial film, it delivers what is important in life through the essence of local Native American traditions and values, all in a rich and poignant story-telling way."

The movie is the tale of a Native American city girl whose cosmopolitan lifestyle abruptly comes to an end when her boyfriend leaves her.

Homeless and returning to her traditional, elderly native American grand-mother in the Mojave Desert, she is confronted by ancestry, romance, corruption, and a legendary treasure that forces her to make a choice between “what was” and “what could be.”Comment:  On the plus side, it's another Native movie. And the Mohave Desert is a rare setting for a Native story.

On the minus side, there's no apparent involvement of Native writers, actors, or consultants. And the story of an urban Indian who returns to the rez and learns the old ways from the people is a cliché. It's been done several times.

Also, there's no evidence that this script is "award-winning." This posting is basically a press release and that claim sounds like hype.

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