<\/p>\n
Although fictional, \u201cEscape\u201d is an authentic story that filmmakers\u2019 hope can help change the negative stereotypes of Native youths on and off the reservation.<\/p>\n
At its premiere Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Sunflower Theatre in Cortez, award-winning filmmaker Alex Munoz, founder and creative director of Films by Youth Inside, explained that the 23-minute narrative film was written, directed, produced and performed by Ute Mountain Ute teenagers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students wanted the audience to be impacted,\u201d said Munoz.<\/p>\n
Based on responses from some in the standing-room only crowd, \u201cEscape\u201d did just that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis movie shows that our children have a mind,\u201d one tribal elder told the audience after the screening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was very touching,\u201d a woman added with tears in her eyes. \u201cPeople live this life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEscape\u201d centers on the lives of two main characters, Rachel, a bullied teen played by 14-year-old Kamea Clark, and Adam, a teen struggling with his sexual orientation, portrayed by 17-year-old Wendell Mills, Jr. The duo form a suicide pact to escape their perceived hopelessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m empty, and I don\u2019t know what to do anymore,\u201d Rachel says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to die and fly away,\u201d responds Adam.<\/p>\n
After the screening, Clark said it was a difficult role, and the suicide scene was intense, but she gained a greater appreciation for the social anxieties that many of her peers endure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should be grateful for the things we have,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n
For her, the most powerful scene in the film was losing her best friend, Adam, Clark said, adding that she would be devastated to lose her real-life best friend to suicide.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d said Clark.<\/p>\n
Wendell, slightly more reserved about discussing the experience, nearly backed out of the role during the third day of shooting, but, according to Munoz, he returned to the set to deliver a \u201ccourageous\u201d performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was cool to see the movie on the big screen,\u201d Wendell said.<\/p>\n
The film also addressed other social ills associated with poverty on tribal reservations, including substance abuse, absent parents, hunger and domestic violence.<\/p>\n
Among the some 18 tribal youths who played a role in the film \u2013 which included screenwriting, audio, lighting, costume and set design, camera operation and directing \u2013 teens said the nine-day whirlwind production over the summer offered new friendships, valuable life skills such as teamwork and individual responsibility and the capacity to accept and help others.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud,\u201d one teen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an awesome experience,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n
Almost all the tribal youths involved with the film indicated they would like the opportunity to pursue a filmmaking career. They also hoped the film would serve as a catalyst to help transform the negative stereotypes of Native teenagers on and off the reservations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt moved me,\u201d said Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart. \u201cThis is going to open people\u2019s eyes as well as their hearts and minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Munoz, \u201cEscape\u201d has already received two invitations to Native film festivals, and he predicted other film festivals would come calling.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t underestimate what you\u2019ve accomplished here,\u201d Munoz told the filmmakers on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Bureau of Indian Affairs\u2019 Office of Justice Services, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Center for Rural Outreach & Public Services helped fund the project, a five-year project.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be back next summer to do it again,\u201d said Munoz.<\/p>\n
\u201cEscape\u201d also screens at the Gaslight Theater in Durango at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 6.<\/p>\n