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 MAKING THE RIVER (83 minutes) USA Director: Sarah Del Seronde Producer: Sarah Del Seronde, Paul Stoll Description: Lloyd Broncheau, a young Native American prisoner, was killed in the Washington State Penitentiary for a twenty-five dollar debt. Three days later prison guard Sgt. William Cross was killed during a fight with Indian inmates. This led to the longest lockdown in Washington State history as well as an inmate class-action lawsuit against the State. George and Jimi Simmons were charged with first degree murder for the death of the guard. The State sought execution by hanging. Framed within the context of 20th-century American Indian history and politics, the film tells the story of Jimi “Dexter” Simmons. Raised his entire life by the State—institutionalized in an orphanage as a youth and imprisoned as an adult—Jimi’s life in many ways parallels the fate of his own tribe. Making the River is a film about tragedy transformed. Biography: Daughter of a Dine’ mother and French father, Sarah Del Seronde’s bicultural identity shaped her educational pursuits and her travels as well as her interest in indigenous people around the globe and desire to be a bridge between cultures. Seronde started an independent multimedia company in Flagstaff, Arizona with her business partner, Paul Stoll. Her short film Sa’ah garnered prestige on the American Indian festival circuit and can be found on National Geographic’s All Roads Film Project 2006 box set. This is Del Seronde’s feature film debut. Paul Stoll is of Tongan and German-American descent. A graduate of the Zaki Gordon Institute, he is co-founder of Aboriginal Lens, LTD., an independent multimedia production company based in Flagstaff, Arizona dedicated to reflect multicultural perspectives through video and audio. His short film Tavake played the film festival circuit throughout the American-Indian community and can be seen in the 2007 National Geographic All Roads Film Project box set. Contact Information: Paul Stoll 5040 East Thames Flagstaff, AZ 86004 E-mail: pcsstoll@yahoo.com Web site: http://www.makingtheriver.com |
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