Actor Michael Spears (1977)

The American Western film, The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017), was both written and directed by Jared Moshe. It is set in 1889 Montana where a gunshot victim stumbles out of a saloon. Lawman Edward Johnson enters and instructs his partner, ‘Lefty’ Brown, to check the back of the building. The suspect unexpectedly jumps out of the window, surprising Lefty who fails to capture him. Ed emerges and catches the man, scolding Lefty for his error. Despite Lefty’s objections to the unlawful nature of their actions, Ed chooses hanging as their means of justice. Upon returning to his ranch with his wife Laura, Ed ...

Guns, Girls and Gambling (2012) is an American action crime thriller film written and directed by Michael Winnick. John Smith’s luck just keeps getting worse. First, his girlfriend leaves him for a doctor. Then, a hooker swipes his wallet at an Apache Reservation casino. To top it off, he loses both an Elvis Impersonation contest and a poker game against fellow impersonators Gay Elvis, Little Person Elvis, Asian Elvis, and the victor, Elvis Elvis. As if things couldn’t get any more complicated, John is falsely accused of stealing a valuable ancient Apache mask from ‘The Chief’, the casino’s ...

Imprint (2007), an independent drama/thriller directed by Michael Linn and produced by Chris Eyre, stands out as one of the few American films featuring an indigenous Native American lead role. Actress Carmelo, of Tongva-Kumeyaay descent, portrays Shayla, an attorney in South Dakota who initially convicts a young Lakota boy for homicide. Troubled by the case’s toll on her, Shayla seeks refuge at her family home on the Lakota reservation. However, upon her return she experiences visions that she believes are messages from her ...

Into the West (2005) is a TV Miniseries, produced by Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks. The six two-hour episodes (including commercials) were first broadcast in the U.S. on Turner Network Television (TNT) over six consecutive Fridays in June and July of 2005. It was also shown in the UK on BBC2 and BBC HD from November 4, 2006, as well as on CBC Television in Canada. In the U.S., AMC aired the series during both summer and fall seasons in 2012. With a setting spanning from the 1820s to 1890, the miniseries follows two families – one white American and one Native American – whose lives become intertwined ...

Skins (2002) is an American feature film directed by Chris Eyre and adapted from Adrian C. Louis’ novel of the same name. Set on the Beaver Creek Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the story revolves around two Lakota Sioux brothers, Rudy and Mogie Yellow Lodge. While Rudy works as a police officer, Mogie is unemployed and has a teenage son. As Rudy attempts to balance his job responsibilities with caring for his brother and nephew, he becomes increasingly frustrated with Mogie’s attitude towards life on the reservation. In their youth, Mogie had often told ...

Kevin Costner’s feature directorial debut, Dances with Wolves (1990), is an American epic Western film adapted from Michael Blake’s 1988 novel of the same name. In the film, set in 1863 during the American Civil War, 1st Lieutenant John J. Dunbar of the Union Army is severely injured at St. David’s Field in Tennessee. The surgeon plans to amputate his leg, but Dunbar chooses to risk death in battle instead. He steals a horse and charges out in front of the Confederate lines, narrowly missing their bullets. This act distracts the Confederates and allows ...