Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - On Tuesday, June 9 at West Mall 7 Theaters Cinema Falls will be hosting the South Dakota premiere of the critically acclaimed independent film SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME which was filmed entirely on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and features several local actors.
The film was written and directed by Chloé Zhao and was selected for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival as well as the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker is executive producer of the film. Zhao won 15 labs, awards and fellowships for this film.
SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME is a compelling and complex portrait of modern day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that explores the bond between a brother (John Reddy) and his younger sister (Jashaun St. John), who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Zhao sensitively infiltrates Indian Country to offer a rare, modern gaze keenly felt through the eyes of her magnetic non-professional lead actors, providing a universally resonant tale set amid the magnificent, promising wild of young generation Lakotas.
“Welcoming our filmmaker and her lead actor to Cinema Falls is a true honor,” according to Cinema Falls founder Julie Anderson Friesen. “We are thankful to host this film on its way home to Pine Ridge.”
Director Chloé Zhao and actress Jashaun St. John will be attending the screening and Cinema Falls will be hosting a Q&A with them after the film. Both Zhao and St. John are available for scheduled interviews.
There will be two simultaneous screenings of the film. The screening with the post-film Q&A is already sold out but tickets still remain for the add-on screening in an adjacent theater. Doors for both events will open at 6:00 pm and the film will begin at approximately 6:30 pm. Tickets cost $11.50 and are available at www.cinemafalls.com.