"the People's Paths!" NAIIP-News-Releases "Older Than America"

"Older Than America" starring Golden Globe nominee Adam Beach, Bradley Cooper, Tantoo Cardinal, Georgina Lightning and West Studi has been selected for competition in the International Cherokee Film Festival (ICFF) 2008.

TULSA, OKLAHOMA - International Cherokee Film Festival (ICFF) 2008 Director Linda Turnbull-Lewis announced today that "Older Than America," a feature film starring Golden Globe nominee Adam Beach, Bradley Cooper, Tantoo Cardinal, Georgina Lightning and Wes Studi has been selected as one of the feature film entries for competition in this years event. ICFF 2008 will take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Cherokee Casino Resort, October 10-11.

"Older Than America" tells the story of a woman's haunting visions that reveal a sinister plot to silence her mother from speaking the truth about atrocities that occurred at a Native Indian boarding school. A supernatural thriller with cultural content, "Older Than America" speaks to the lasting impact of the cultural genocide that occurred at such schools throughout the United States and Canada.

Recently featured in Filmmaker Magazine as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film, the "Older Than America" Director Georgina Lightning says, "'this film is dedicated to my father, George De Jong, who, after years of battling the demons of his boarding school experience, committed suicide. As a means of making sense of the tragedy, I was compelled to learn more about my father's boarding school experiences and then bring those stories to the screen. But 'Older Than America' is not just an indictment of the past. The title refers to who we were as a nation before mandatory assimilation transformed our identity. And it refers to the history and traditions that will empower us to heal and move on."

"Older Than America" was produced by award-winning producer Christine K. Walker ("Factotum"- "American Splendor"), and features cinematography by Austin native Shane Kelly ("A Scanner Darkly"), production design by Carol Strober ("Staring Out in the Evening"), editing by Michael Miller ("Ghost World") and an original score by George S. Clinton ("Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"). "Older Than America" was Executive Produced by Audrey Martinez and received crucial support from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. For more information visit the "Older Than America" web site. The film screens Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 - 8:00 pm in the Cherokee Casino Resort Grand Ballroom.

Among the special featured guests scheduled to participate in ICFF 2008 is actress Elaine Miles (Cayuse-Nez Perce), best known for her role as Marilyn Whirlwind on the television series Northern Exposure, and Tantoo Cardinal an international recognized indigenous actress with more 70 films to her credit that include such roles as the knowing wife of the Medicine Man in "Dances With Wolves", the poignant childless companion of Rip Torn in "Where the Rivers Flow North" and the mother of Brad Pitt's wife in "Legends of the Fall."

ICFF 2008 also has an exceptional line up of short films and documentaries such as "Our Spirits Don't Speak English: Indian Boarding School" an award winning documentary produced by Steven R. Heape that asks viewers to imagine you are a child, taken from your home, your family, taken from everything you know. This documentary looks at U. S. government policy enacted in 1869 for the purpose of educating Native American children in the ways of western society. By the late 1960's more than 100,000 children had been forced to attend Indian Boarding School. This is the story of the battle against and the victory over the boarding school monster as told by educators, former and current students. Visit the producer's web site, Rich Heape.com, for more details. The film screens Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. in the Cherokee Casino Resort Grand Ballroom.

The International Cherokee Film Festival (ICFF) 2008 marks its 6th year of introducing independent filmmakers who come from across American and countries around the world.

Turnbull-Lewis said, "The ICFF mission is why all of us volunteer our time and why we have the extraordinary support of filmmakers and sponsors who make ICFF possible." ICFF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire motivate, encourage, educate and help provide resources necessary to the success of emerging Native American and multicultural independent filmmakers and students seeking a voice, career paths and goals in the filmmaking and multi-media communications industry.

Orvel Baldridge, ICFF's founder stated, "A brand new ICFF web site has recently been launched, and although the site is still under construction it will provide screenings schedules and other ICFF 2008 details beginning the first week of October 2008." For more information go to the International Cherokee Film Festival (ICFF) web site, or call: 918-458-9322.

Media Contact: Linda Turnbull-Lewis, ICFF 2008 Director
Phone: 918-458-9322 E-mail: naitca@fullnet.net