Rez
New York, United States | Film Short
Drama
Daniel Nightbird is an Ojibwe teen living on the Leech Lake reservation who's taking care of his young sister alone. Down to his last dollar, when he's suddenly evicted it sets in motion a desperate search for a safe place on the Rez, which is harder to come by than even he imagined.
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This campaign raised $14,245 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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Daniel Nightbird is an Ojibwe teen living on the Leech Lake reservation who's taking care of his young sister alone. Down to his last dollar, when he's suddenly evicted it sets in motion a desperate search for a safe place on the Rez, which is harder to come by than even he imagined.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
Aanin-
Nearly two years ago I walked into Spike Lee’s office with the idea for the little film that would
become Rez: a film meant to honor a late friend but also shed some light on the plight of the 7th
generation, a group of young men and women who have come of age in the time of the 7th fire. In the
original prophecy, the task of the 7th generation is difficult: they are given the calling of returning to the
trail to find what was left there, returning to their people the spiritual ways that have been lost.
On this journey though, they are promised no help from the elder generation, many of whom it is said
will point in the wrong direction, remain silent out of fear or cease to offer anything because they are
not asked. And so the young people of the 7th generation are left to rediscover the nature of the circle,
and in doing so find a way to trust and develop their innermost judgment.
I can think of no better allegory for the times in which in we live, confusing as they are, and divided as
we seem one man from another.
Rez started as an attempt to answer in my heart why a dear friend, a student at Harvard, was gunned
down by a Sureño a few months before he could finish his education. It was an attempt to answer one
question: “why was he there?” It has since become something much larger, something more universal:
“Where are our young people? Where is the 7th generation?”
The answer that I uncovered while working on this film was very clear.
We are scattered. We are confused. But most of all, we are lonely.
It is hard to do the right thing, and the road of those young people who choose to is a lonely one. This
is something I felt many times as I went about preparing to shoot Rez in what many assured me was the
most difficult, but in my mind only right way to do it: with an all Native cast, on location, and with the
support of the community. It is something I saw in the faces of the young men and women of Leech
Lake struggling to find their way. And it is something we’re seeing on a larger national scale as the 7th
generation stumbles towards adulthood, trying desperately to live up to our billing.
This is what Rez is about, and what, in part, prompted Spike Lee to lend his support. That support
enabled us to do the film the right way, spending three months in the community and casting real people
from the community. Now, as Rez nears completion, we are reaching out again for help finishing the
film. We have a powerful film in the works, one that we hope will touch the hearts and minds of many.
But there are a few technicalities that we still need to take care of: sound design and mixing, color
correction, score and festival submissions. These final steps are small, but they mean a big difference to
the quality of the final product, which I personally demand of myself be of the highest quality. The 7th
generation deserves nothing less.
DOMINIQUE DELEON
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Score
Costs $1,250
A movie without music is...well...just a collection of pictures. Help us deliver a moving score!
Color Correction
Costs $2,000
A movie without color correction is like a burger with no bun. Help us create a stunning bun.
Film Festival Entry
Costs $2,000
Film festivals are the lifeblood of indie film (Seed and Spark is the plasma). Help us get Rez out!
Travel To Take Our Film to Leech Lake, White Earth, Red Lake and Beyond!
Costs $3,000
This film was only made possible by the people, and it needs to go back to the people. Help us go!
Food, Clothing and Shelter (and Gas)
Costs $3,750
While we're bringing our film to festivals and beyond, we need places to stay, food to eat and gas!
Share this update!
About This Team
Founded in 2007, Special Boy Films was born with an uncompromising vision: to contribute
original myths to American cinema that illuminate the human condition. We do this because
we believe that a society is only as good as its stories, and these times deserve better ones. In
all our content we seek to bridge that which is timely with the very ancient craft of storytelling,
and the innate human needs we believe reside in every man, woman and child.
Founded exclusively as a film company, our work has expanded recently to include television,
music videos and branded content, but our mission remains the same: to push forward the
human experience one story at a time.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
Aanin-
Nearly two years ago I walked into Spike Lee’s office with the idea for the little film that would
become Rez: a film meant to honor a late friend but also shed some light on the plight of the 7th
generation, a group of young men and women who have come of age in the time of the 7th fire. In the
original prophecy, the task of the 7th generation is difficult: they are given the calling of returning to the
trail to find what was left there, returning to their people the spiritual ways that have been lost.
On this journey though, they are promised no help from the elder generation, many of whom it is said
will point in the wrong direction, remain silent out of fear or cease to offer anything because they are
not asked. And so the young people of the 7th generation are left to rediscover the nature of the circle,
and in doing so find a way to trust and develop their innermost judgment.
I can think of no better allegory for the times in which in we live, confusing as they are, and divided as
we seem one man from another.
Rez started as an attempt to answer in my heart why a dear friend, a student at Harvard, was gunned
down by a Sureño a few months before he could finish his education. It was an attempt to answer one
question: “why was he there?” It has since become something much larger, something more universal:
“Where are our young people? Where is the 7th generation?”
The answer that I uncovered while working on this film was very clear.
We are scattered. We are confused. But most of all, we are lonely.
It is hard to do the right thing, and the road of those young people who choose to is a lonely one. This
is something I felt many times as I went about preparing to shoot Rez in what many assured me was the
most difficult, but in my mind only right way to do it: with an all Native cast, on location, and with the
support of the community. It is something I saw in the faces of the young men and women of Leech
Lake struggling to find their way. And it is something we’re seeing on a larger national scale as the 7th
generation stumbles towards adulthood, trying desperately to live up to our billing.
This is what Rez is about, and what, in part, prompted Spike Lee to lend his support. That support
enabled us to do the film the right way, spending three months in the community and casting real people
from the community. Now, as Rez nears completion, we are reaching out again for help finishing the
film. We have a powerful film in the works, one that we hope will touch the hearts and minds of many.
But there are a few technicalities that we still need to take care of: sound design and mixing, color
correction, score and festival submissions. These final steps are small, but they mean a big difference to
the quality of the final product, which I personally demand of myself be of the highest quality. The 7th
generation deserves nothing less.
DOMINIQUE DELEON
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Score
Costs $1,250
A movie without music is...well...just a collection of pictures. Help us deliver a moving score!
Color Correction
Costs $2,000
A movie without color correction is like a burger with no bun. Help us create a stunning bun.
Film Festival Entry
Costs $2,000
Film festivals are the lifeblood of indie film (Seed and Spark is the plasma). Help us get Rez out!
Travel To Take Our Film to Leech Lake, White Earth, Red Lake and Beyond!
Costs $3,000
This film was only made possible by the people, and it needs to go back to the people. Help us go!
Food, Clothing and Shelter (and Gas)
Costs $3,750
While we're bringing our film to festivals and beyond, we need places to stay, food to eat and gas!
Share this update!
About This Team
Founded in 2007, Special Boy Films was born with an uncompromising vision: to contribute
original myths to American cinema that illuminate the human condition. We do this because
we believe that a society is only as good as its stories, and these times deserve better ones. In
all our content we seek to bridge that which is timely with the very ancient craft of storytelling,
and the innate human needs we believe reside in every man, woman and child.
Founded exclusively as a film company, our work has expanded recently to include television,
music videos and branded content, but our mission remains the same: to push forward the
human experience one story at a time.