Hank Williams First Nation

Last updated
Hank Williams First Nation
OneSheet 2 BLEED.jpg
Directed by Aaron James Sorensen
Written byAaron James Sorensen
Produced byAaron James Sorensen
Starring Gordon Tootoosis
Jimmy Herman
Stacy Da Silva
Colin VanLoon [1]
Cinematography C. Kim Miles
Edited byAaron James Sorensen
Distributed by Maple Pictures
Release date
  • 2004 (2004)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Hank Williams First Nation is a 2004 film directed by Aaron James Sorensen. It is Sorensen's first feature film. [2]

Contents

The film stars Gordon Tootoosis, Jimmy Herman, Stacy Da Silva, and Colin VanLoon. [1]

Plot

The film follows the story of a seventy-five-year-old Cree man named Martin Fox who has been reading too many tabloids, and begins to believe that Elvis Presley and Princess Diana are still alive after their alleged deaths. From this he begins to wonder if his hero Hank Williams is not still alive as well. Before Fox's death, and joined by his younger brother and teenage nephew, he commits to making a Greyhound bus trip to Nashville, Tennessee to find out more about the country music legend and if he is truly deceased or still living. [3] [4]

Production

The film was shot on the Woodland Cree First Nation in Northern Alberta. [5]

Reception

A presentation on the Canadian Film Database finds that "Many films like this seem to be excuses for a soundtrack CD but not in this case. This is solid story telling. And the music is great, including tracks by Joe Ely, Billy Joe Shaver, Old Reliable, Dave McCann, The Swiftys, Tim Hus and, of course, Hank Williams Sr." [6] A mixed review for The Globe and Mail finds the film meets its "modest expectations". [7]

Related Research Articles

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO). The TSO's most recent music director was Peter Oundjian, from 2004 to 2018. Sir Andrew Davis, conductor laureate of the TSO, has most recently served as the orchestra's interim artistic director. Gustavo Gimeno is music director of the TSO, since the 2020–2021 season.

<i>Youve Got Mail</i> 1998 film by Nora Ephron

You've Got Mail is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Inspired by the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László, the screenplay was co-written by Nora and Delia Ephron. It tells the story of two people in an online romance who are unaware they are also business rivals. It marked the third pairing of Hanks and Ryan, who previously appeared together in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993), the latter directed by Ephron. The film takes its name from the greeting AOL users receive when they get a new email.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Williams</span> American singer, songwriter, and musician (1923–1953)

HiramKing "Hank" Williams was an American singer-songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Williams Jr.</span> American musician

Randall Hank Williams, known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of country musician Hank Williams and the father of musicians Holly Williams and Hank Williams III, and the grandfather of Coleman Williams. He is also the half brother of Jett Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Williams (songwriter)</span> American composer, singer, songwriter, recovery advocate and actor (born 1940)

Paul Hamilton Williams Jr. is an American composer, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for writing and co-writing popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World", Biff Rose's "Fill Your Heart", and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays". He also wrote "Cried Like a Baby" for teen idol Bobby Sherman.

<i>Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story</i> 2004 sports comedy film by Rawson Thurber

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is a 2004 sports comedy film written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller. The film follows a group of unlikely misfits who enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in the hopes of winning $50,000 to save their cherished local gym from being taken over by corporate health fitness chain Globo Gym.

<i>Strange Brew</i> 1983 Canadian-American comedy film

Strange Brew is a 1983 Canadian-American comedy film starring the popular SCTV characters Bob and Doug McKenzie, portrayed by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who also served as co-directors. Co-stars include Max von Sydow, Paul Dooley, Lynne Griffin and Angus MacInnes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Beach</span> Canadian actor

Adam Beach is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Victor Joseph in Smoke Signals; Frank Fencepost in Dance Me Outside; Tommy on Walker, Texas Ranger; Kickin' Wing in Joe Dirt; U.S. Marine Corporal Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers; Private Ben Yahzee in Windtalkers; Dr. Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee; NYPD Detective Chester Lake in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; and Officer Jim Chee in the film adaptations of Skinwalkers, Coyote Waits and A Thief of Time. He starred in the Canadian 2012–2014 series Arctic Air and played Slipknot in the 2016 film Suicide Squad. He also performed as Squanto in Disney's historical drama film Squanto: A Warrior's Tale. Most recently he has starred in Hostiles (2017) as Black Hawk and the Netflix original film Juanita (2019) as Jess Gardiner and Edward Nappo in Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog.

Zacharias Kunuk is a Canadian Inuk producer and director most notable for his film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced entirely in Inuktitut. He is the president and co-founder with Paul Qulitalik, Paul Apak Angilirq, and Norman Cohn, of Igloolik Isuma Productions, Canada's first independent Inuit production company. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001), the first feature film that was entirely in Inuktitut was named as the greatest Canadian film of all time by the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival poll.

Knowles Fred Rose was an American musician, Hall of Fame songwriter, and music publishing executive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Tootoosis</span> Canadian actor

Gordon Tootoosis, was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Pîhtokahanapiwiyin. He was acclaimed for his commitment to preserving his culture and to telling his people's stories. He once said, "Leadership is about submission to duty, not elevation to power." He served as a founding member of the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company. Tootoosis offered encouragement, support and training to aspiring Aboriginal actors. He served as a leading Cree activist both as a social worker and as a band chief. In Open Season and Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run, Tootoosis was the voice of Sheriff Gordy.

"I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" is a song written by Fred Rose and American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams, released by Williams in 1952.

<i>Jaws: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i> 1975 film score by John Williams

The Jaws soundtrack is the music composed and conducted by John Williams for Steven Spielberg's 1975 film Jaws. The soundtrack is particularly notable for the 2-note ostinato which represents the shark, a theme so simple that Spielberg initially thought it was a joke by the composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaw-Liga</span> 1952 song by Hank Williams and Fred Rose

"Kaw-Liga" is a country music song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose.

<i>Great Expectations</i> (1998 film) 1998 American film

Great Expectations is a 1998 American romantic drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, from a screenplay by Mitch Glazer and starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft, and Robert De Niro. A contemporary film adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1861 novel of the same name, it is known for having moved the setting of the original novel from 1812-1827 London to 1990s New York, with the hero's name having been changed from "Pip" to "Finn," the character of "Miss Havisham" having been renamed "Nora Dinsmoor" and "Abel Magwitch" being renamed "Arthur Lustig." The film received mixed reviews.

Aaron James Sorensen is a Canadian musician, writer, producer, and director living in Calgary, Alberta. He has made several films and a mini-series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Johnson (director)</span> Canadian actor and filmmaker

Matt Johnson is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He first attracted accolades for his low-budget independent feature films, including The Dirties (2013), which won Best Narrative Feature at the Slamdance Film Festival, and Operation Avalanche (2016), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Hines</span> American suicide prevention speaker

John Kevin Hines is an American suicide prevention speaker who attempted suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California in 2000 at the age of 19. His story gained major media coverage and he has since become a motivational speaker and advocate for suicide prevention.

Andrew Balfour is a Cree composer and conductor from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is the artistic director of the vocal ensemble Dead of Winter.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hank Williams First Nation | Cinequest".
  2. Leydon, Joe (2005-05-05). "Hank Williams First Nation". Variety. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  3. "Hank Williams First Nation". www.archives.scene4.com. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  4. "Native American Heritage Month Viewing Guide". American Film Institute. 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  5. "HANK WILLIAMS FIRST NATION INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION: DESCRIPTION". AFI.
  6. Lucas, Ralph (2017-10-10). "Hank Williams First Nation". Northernstars.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  7. "Hank Williams First Nation *½". The Globe and Mail. 2005-09-09. Retrieved 2023-05-29.