MATRIX FILM FEST

Did you study in a specific film school or private course? Or how did you learn to write screenplays?

I have no formal training in writing screenplays. I’m still learning and loving the craft.

 

How many years have you been writing screenplays and how did you get started in film?

 In 2017, a director asked me to turn one of my novels into a screenplay. I love it and gave up writing books.

 

One of the problems we have as filmmakers/writers is that we're not like actors or crews, who work with many different productions and can learn different ways of doing things. We usually have our way of doing things. Have you had the opportunity to work with other writers or attend film shoots? If so, what has caught your attention?

I began with a collaboration and loved it. I find synergy in partnerships. 

 

How long did it take you to finish Flying Bird's Diary?

Flying Bird’s Diary began as a novel I was asked to write for a children’s book company. I didn’t like how it was going so I switched to writing it as a film and it blossomed.

 

What is your favorite time of day to write?

4 am

 

Any anecdote that you can tell us during the writing of the script?

This script has so much spirit and energy that amazing things have happened since it entered the world…like the return of Flying Bird’s Diaries from Cornell to my Mohegan Tribal Nation.

 

What are you most proud of about this project?

This is the story of an American woman that America hoped to forget, a woman whose own people had tried to forget the worst parts of her story because it spoke to the dark days when their culture was a crime. This project showcases her light and bravery. This is a story of HOPE.

 

And what less? What would you change if you could?

I wish that more of Flying Bird’s work had been saved so I could flesh out her life.

 

Normally we always use some type of reference to work or we are inspired by certain works. For Flying Bird's Diary, what references did you use?

My mentor, Medicine Woman Gladys Tantaquidgeon, was Flying Bird’s mentee. So this story is based on what I learned through oral tradition, resarching tribal records and working with other researchers, including Dr. Margaret Bruchac (Abenaki).

 

Often one of the problems producers have with scripts is that they are impossible to produce. Is Flying Bird's Diary is written without any kind of budget limit or have you limited it a bit to make it easier to produce?

I am VERY conscious of writing within a budget. The sets for Flying Bird’s Diary already exist on the Mohegan Reservation and nearby historic sites. Readings have already been held with professional Native actors and a Native costumer. I am working on a  budget with a professional filmmaker. So we are ready to go!

 

If you had unlimited budget. What actor and actress would you like in one of your scripts?

I don’t need an unlimited budget or famous actors. This film is more about giving Native actors a chance to showcase their talents so they have a chance to become big names. 

 

Your favorite movie?

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

 

And a filmmaker?

Taika Waititi 

 

Favorite screenwriter?

Sterlin Harjo

 

Do you recommend a book?

The Democracy of Species

 

What is the scene that has impacted you the most?

In the 1985 Anne of Green Gables, I love the scene when Anne meets Mathew.

 

If you could do a remake of a movie, what would it be?

Any movie about Native Americans made before the 1990s.

 

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? Do you think you will continue making movies?

I hope to be an inspiration to young Native filmmakers. I see myself helping them however I can.