Four Sheets to the Wind | |
---|---|
Directed by | Sterlin Harjo |
Written by | Sterlin Harjo |
Produced by | Chad Burris Ted Kroeber Cheyenne Fletcher |
Starring | Cody Lightning Tamara Podemski Laura Bailey Jeri Arredondo |
Cinematography | Fredrick Schroder |
Edited by | David Michael Maurer |
Music by | Jeffery Johnson |
Production companies | Indion Entertainment Group KishProductions Dirt Road Productions |
Distributed by | First Look Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 81 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English Creek |
Four Sheets to the Wind is a 2007 independent drama film written and directed by Sterlin Harjo. It was Harjo's first feature film, and won several awards at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and American Indian Film Festival.
The film tells the story of Cufe, a young Seminole/Creek man who travels from his small Oklahoma home town to Tulsa to visit his sister, Miri, after the suicide and funeral of their father. While Miri struggles with her life in the city, Cufe becomes friendly, and then romantically involved, with Miri's neighbor, Francie, and he begins to perceive that his life has more possibilities than he had realized. [1] [2]
The script was developed with the support of the Sundance Institute [3] and was filmed in Holdenville, Oklahoma (Harjo's hometown) and in Tulsa. [1] [4] Harjo has commented that one of his purposes in writing the script was to react against expectations and stereotypes, for example by depicting Cufe "drinking a beer" while not making alcoholism a central issue, and showing him becoming involved with Francie without making the movie into "an issue-driven interracial relationship story". [5]
The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the grand jury prize. Tamara Podemski won a Sundance special jury prize for her performance as Miri, [6] and she was later nominated for best supporting actress at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards. [2] At the 2007 American Indian Film Festival, Harjo was named best director, and Cody Lightning was named best actor for his performance as Cufe. [7]
The film received largely positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. [8] Associated Press reviewer Duane Byrge noted that it was a "captivating crowd-pleaser" at Sundance and praised the actors, described it as "a personal story that transcends any specific heritage or geographic setting". [9] Variety's Dennis Harvey commented that the film is "so low-key it risks making little impression", but ultimately wins "viewer sympathy and affection". [10] Zack Haddad of Film Threat compared the film to Garden State and complimented its "wonderfuly oddball comedy" as well as its "heart-felt" message. [11]
Year | Award | Winner/Nominee | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | American Indian Film Festival [12] | Sterlin Harjo | Best Film | Nominated |
Best Director | Won | |||
Cody Lightning | Best Actor | Won | ||
Tamara Podemski | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Jeri Arredondo | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | ||
Sundance Film Festival [3] | Sterlin Harjo | Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic | Nominated | |
Special Jury Prize - Dramatic | Won | |||
2008 | Independent Spirit Awards [13] | Tamara Podemski | Best Supporting Female | Nominated |
Woman Is the Future of Man is a 2004 South Korean film directed by Hong Sang-soo. The film was not a box-office hit, but was entered in the competition category of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and received screenings at several other festivals. The title of the film is a translation of a line from a poem by Louis Aragon that the director saw printed on a French postcard.
Pretty Bird is a 2008 American comedy film. It competed in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was released on DVD in the United States on June 29, 2010.
Hamlet 2 is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Andrew Fleming, written by Fleming and Pam Brady, and starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler, and David Arquette. It was produced by Eric Eisner, Leonid Rozhetskin, and Aaron Ryder. Hamlet 2 was filmed primarily at a New Mexico high school from September to October 2007. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Focus Features.
Teeth is a 2007 American comedy horror film written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein. The film stars Jess Weixler and was produced by Lichtenstein on a budget of $2 million. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2007, and received a limited release in the United States on January 18, 2008, by Roadside Attractions. Its title refers to the ancient trope of vagina dentata.
Barking Water is a 2009 independent feature film written and directed by Sterlin Harjo that premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Harjo's second feature film, it stars Richard Ray Whitman, Casey Camp-Horinek, Jon Proudstar, Aaron Riggs, Laura Spencer, Quese iMC, Ryan Red Corn, and Beau Harjo.
After Tiller is a 2013 documentary film directed by Martha Shane and Lana Wilson that follows the only four remaining doctors in the United States who openly perform abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy. In 2015, After Tiller won the News and Documentary Emmy Award for Best Documentary. The title of the film refers to George Tiller, a doctor who performed abortions and was murdered in 2009.
Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart is a 2014 American documentary film directed by Jeremiah Zagar. The film premiered in competition in the category of U.S. Documentary Competition program at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014.
E-Team is a 2014 American documentary film co-directed and produced by Katy Chevigny and Ross Kauffman. The film premiered in the competition category of U.S. Documentary Competition program at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014. Rachel Beth Anderson and Ross Kauffman won the Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary at the festival, as well as the Candescent Award.
No No: A Dockumentary is a 2014 American documentary film directed and produced by Jeff Radice. The film premiered in competition category of U.S. Documentary Competition program at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014.
Rich Hill is a 2014 American documentary film co-produced and directed by Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos about Rich Hill, Missouri. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for a documentary.
Web Junkie is a 2013 American-Israeli documentary film co-written, directed and produced by Hilla Medalia and Shosh Shlam. The film premiered at the 2013 Jerusalem Film Festival on July 10, 2013.
This May Be the Last Time is a 2014 American documentary film produced and directed by Sterlin Harjo. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014.
Sterlin Harjo is an American Seminole filmmaker. He has directed three feature films, a documentary, and the FX comedy drama series Reservation Dogs, all of them set in his home state of Oklahoma and concerned primarily with Native American people and content.
Love in the Time of Money is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Mattei, and starring Steve Buscemi, Vera Farmiga, Rosario Dawson, Malcolm Gets, Jill Hennessy, and Adrian Grenier. The film, executive produced by Robert Redford, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 2002. It had a limited release in the United States on November 1, 2002.
Mekko is a 2015 American drama film directed by Sterlin Harjo. Harjo's third feature film, it is a thriller set among a community of homeless Native Americans in Tulsa.
The 1491s are a Native American sketch comedy group, with members based in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Montana. While the members' sketch comedy has had a growing cult following since the mid-2000s, and their videos since 2009, they are perhaps best known for their work in more widely-known shows such as Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs.
Reservation Dogs is an American comedy-drama television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions. It follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, as they spend their days hanging out and committing crimes to earn enough money to leave their reservation community.
Tamara Podemski is a Canadian film and television actress and writer. She is known for her supporting role as Alison Trent in the television series Coroner, for which she won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.
Fancy Dance is a 2023 American drama film directed by Erica Tremblay, from a screenplay written by Tremblay and Miciana Alise. It stars Lily Gladstone, Isabel DeRoy-Olson and Shea Whigham.
Rez Ball is a 2024 American sports drama film directed by Sydney Freeland, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sterlin Harjo, based on the nonfiction sports novel Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation, by The New York Times journalist Michael Powell. LeBron James served as one of the producers. The film features an ensemble cast, including Kauchani Bratt, Jessica Matten, Julia Jones, Amber Midthunder, and Kiowa Gordon.