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Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Metro Detroiters launch film and TV studio devoted to Native American stories, culture
The metro Detroiters behind Studio of the Americas have an ambitious vision of what they hope to accomplish. Their goal is to produce film and television projects that authentically portray Native American stories, culture and traditions. The venture is committed to "amplifying Indigenous voices, casting Native actors in leading roles, and training the next generation of behind-the-scenes talent," according to a news release on the venture's official launch. In a recent Zoom interview, Studio of the Americas CEO and co-founder, Northville author Robert C. Wilson, said the goal is to create something that will not only provide content but also "develop a cadre of Native creators in the film industry that will be able to carry on long after us." 'It's a big mission, but it's heartfelt,' adds chairman and co-founder Clifton Chippewa, an Emmy-nominated industry veteran from Ann Arbor. Studio of the Americas has offices at a well-known site: the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, one of the largest production facilities in the United States and the former home of the historic Fort McPherson military base. The fully independent studio has a slate of 15 projects that includes a long-awaited movie adaptation of Wilson's 1980 bestselling thriller, 'Crooked Tree,' and a documentary on the impact of tobacco on Native American communities, 'Smoke Alarm.' It also is collaborating with the Georgia Film Academy on an industry training program for Native American students across the country. Like so many ideas in Hollywood, this one involved connecting with the right people at the right time. The story stretches back to Wilson's novel 'Crooked Tree,' which is set in Michigan's north country and involves ferocious bear attacks interwoven with a Native American legend. The reviews praised 'Crooked Tree' for being a great read and for its treatment of Native American themes. "An intelligent horror story with skin-crawling entertainment. 'Crooked Tree' is one of the rare books that uses Indian lore with intelligence and respect," wrote the Denver Post. The New York Times called it 'an intense, meticulously researched thriller that handles Native American beliefs with both suspense and dignity."Through the years, 'Crooked Tree' attracted attention from major Hollywood studios and players, including, at one point, William Friedkin, the acclaimed director whose films included "The Exorcist." Wilson says Friedkin would have been a perfect fit, noting that New York Newsday once described "Crooked Tree" as a cross between "Jaws" and "The Exorcist." 'Crooked Tree' was republished in the mid-2000s by the University of Michigan Press and drew interest from Johnny Depp and his production company, according to Wilson. Eventually, Wilson himself decided to produce a film adaptation, which he says came close to being made during the era of Michigan's film incentives, which ran from 2008 to 2015. More than a decade ago, while reaching out to Native Americans in the movie industry about becoming part of a 'Crooked Tree' adaptation, Wilson was introduced to Chippewa by Kristi Hoffman, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and costume designer who has worked on "Real Steel," "The Revenant" and "Captain America: Civil War." Chippewa, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa tribe, was a hairstylist in Ann Arbor when his career intersected with filmmaking. A friend invited him to help with the hairstyling for extras for "61*," the 2001 HBO film about Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris' home run contest that was filmed at the now-demolished Tiger Michigan's film incentives, Chippewa was busy with work on movies like the George Clooney political drama 'The Ides of March' and the Sam Raimi-directed 'Oz the Great and Powerful.' He was part of the three-person team nominated for an Emmy for hairstyling for the 2009 TV movie 'Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,' which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. When Chippewa first heard about the 'Crooked Tree' project from Hoffman, he says his first thought was, 'Whoa, that's cool!' When he asked Wilson whether he could see the script, 'I read it and I was like … 'Why hasn't this thing been made? It's amazing!'" More than a year ago, a friend of Chippewa's helped Wilson and him get in contact with Motion Picture Association chairman Charles Rivkin, who subsequently offered to call Tyler Perry Studios. The two were then invited to Atlanta to see Perry's massive complex. Wilson and Chippewa spent the day with Steve Mensch, the then-president of Tyler Perry Studios, who they say was incredibly kind and supportive of their idea. Mensch died in a plane crash in December. 'We hit it off, and he invited us to establish Studio of the Americas ... within the Tyler Perry complex,' says Wilson. Chippewa says Tyler Perry Studios continues to be supportive of their vision, noting: "They're all really nice. They're just really out to help us a lot. Everybody loves the project.' Although Studio of the Americas is financially separate from Tyler Perry Studios, Wilson says having access to the complex's infrastructure is a big advantage. Their original business plan called for having to raise $100 million to build their own facilities. The first project on Wilson and Chippewa's slate is the documentary 'Smoke Alarm,' now in production, which has obtained what Wilson calls 'a generous grant' from Global Action to End Smoking. The president of that organization, Clifford Douglas, is a friend of Chippewa who also has a Michigan connection. Douglas, a University of Michigan and U-M law school alum, was the former director of the University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network and, in that role, the former leader of the statewide Smoke-Free Environments Law Project. 'Smoke Alarm' will be narrated by Eugene Brace Rock ("Dark Winds,' 'The Revenant'), who said in a February news release: "The work and vision of Clifton Chippewa and Robert Wilson of Studio of the Americas align with a deep sense of cultural storytelling, creativity and purpose. Their mission to cultivate emerging voices and honor cultural narratives is truly inspiring. And the stories they tell are flat-out blockbuster entertainment.' Wilson and Chippewa are looking now to secure production and distribution partners, financing and talent agency representation. There are 15 different movie and streaming properties connected to Tyler Perry Studios, and Wilson and Chippewa view "Crooked Tree" as the first of a potential four-movie franchise. Wilson, who has a condo in Northville and a family cottage in the Grayling area, and Chippewa, who lives in Ann Arbor, says they commute to Atlanta about once a month and expect to be there more as things proceed. Their offices are part of a century-old barracks situated in front of the parade grounds of the old Fort McPherson, according to Wilson. He adds that some of the 2024 film "The Six Triple Eight," a World War II drama starring Kerry Washington, was filmed there. "When Clifton and I go down there, we stay in one of the (historic) generals' houses,' says Wilson. These two metro Detroiters aren't generals, but they say they are on a mission of sorts — one to give more of a voice to the Native community and the countless stories it has to tell. Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Metro Detroiters launch film, TV studio for Native American content
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Studio of the Americas' breaks new ground for Native filmmakers
Sandra Hale SchulmanSpecial to ICT In a first for Native film students and filmmakers, a studio run by two longtime Native creatives has partnered with Tyler Perry Studios and the Georgia Film Academy to offer educational programs and film production to Native Americans in the television and film industry. Studio of the Americas is believed to be the first full-service, privately owned space to guide students through the process while also giving them hands-on experience on current productions. There are studios owned by tribes — such as Tesuque Pueblo's Camel Rock Studios in Santa Fe and the Cherokee Film Studio in Owasso, Oklahoma — as well as the Native filmmaker mentorship programs run by the Sundance Institute. SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. With a focus on preserving and sharing Indigenous perspectives, the studio will develop original scripts, train Native talent, and produce films and series that will keep Native stories alive for future generations. The two founders — chief executive Robert Wilson, Ottawa, and chairman Clifton Chippewa, who is Saginaw Chippewa — joined forces using Wilson's award-winning novel, 'Crooked Tree," as a starting project. 'We're a studio in a production company,' Wilson told ICT. 'This is a new model.' Actor/producer Tyler Perry acquired the 330-acre lot in 2015 in the heart of Atlanta on the historic grounds of the former Fort McPherson Army base. The Tyler Perry Studios campus, now one of the largest production facilities in the country, showcases 40 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, 12 purpose-built sound stages designed to meet specific requirements of film production, 200 acres of greenspace and a diverse backlot. Studio of the Americas will have access to all of the facilities and is dedicated to producing groundbreaking films and television series that authentically portray Native American stories, culture, and traditions. With a slate of 15 major feature films and streaming projects in development, the studio hit the ground running. "Crooked Tree," their first project, explores ancient Native spiritual practices and modern struggles with identity and evil as a shape-shifting Bearwalker takes possession of an Ottawa woman. Another project, "Smoke Alarm," is a documentary narrated by Eugene Brave Rock, a Blackfoot Canadian actor, that traces the journey of tobacco from its ceremonial origins to its modern commercialized impact. Brave Rock will also appear in 'The Groves of Ares,' a 20-episode streaming series. He plays a wildlife naturalist who works with a news reporter to uncover a conspiracy stealing resources from a national park. The two are forced on the run as they work to clear themselves and identify the politicians and corporate leaders behind the conspiracy. "The work and vision of Clifton Chippewa and Robert Wilson of Studio of the Americas align with a deep sense of cultural storytelling, creativity, and purpose,' said Brave Rock, actor in 'The Revenant,' 'Wonder Woman,' and 'Dark Winds,' and creator of the Oki Language Project. 'Their mission to cultivate emerging voices and honor cultural narratives is truly inspiring,' Brave Rock said. 'And the stories they tell are flat out blockbuster entertainment.' In collaboration with the Georgia Film Academy, Studio of the Americas has also launched a training program for Native American students, providing them with hands-on experience in film production. 'We have our offices within the Tyler Perry Studios complex,' Wilson told ICT by Zoom from Atlanta. 'It's the largest in the country, larger than Universal, Sony, Warner Brothers all put together. It started with a project of 'Crooked Tree,' which was based on a novel that I had written that was optioned by Warner Brothers and William Friedkin was going to direct. I was introduced to Clifton through that.' Then the project took a new direction, he said. 'After it had gone through a couple of different efforts, it collapsed,' he said. 'I decided to produce it myself. That began a process of developing a screenplay, bringing people together. One thing that I wanted to do was to make sure that since the 'Crooked Tree' is based upon Native beliefs and traditions, I wanted to make sure I had brought in as many people experienced in the industry that could be part of what we were trying to do.' Along the way, Studio of the Americas was formed. 'We came up with this concept of a studio but for Native American productions, either stories of Indigenous populations of North and South America, or something that was created by Native creative people, and being able to train individuals from different tribes who wanted to get into the movie business,' he said. 'They could make whatever they wanted to make.' The pair were introduced to the chairman of the Motion Picture Association in Hollywood, who suggested they reach out to Perry. 'They invited us here,' he said. 'Cliff and I came and met with the CEO and spent some time with them; we developed a very good rapport. And at the end of it, he invited us to establish Studio of the Americas here.' Originally, the duo was seeking to raise money to build the studio in a soundstage, but suddenly they didn't have to do that any more. 'It's all right there,' Wilson said. 'We have everything at our disposal. We're not part of Tyler Perry, we're a separate company. But be that as it may, we are in probably the best studio complex in the world … And here in Georgia, we have the benefit of the 25 percent to 35 percent incentive. More movies are made in Georgia now than in Hollywood, because of the incentives and a huge cadre of experienced people here.' Chippewa said he was drawn into Wilson's script. 'My whole career started as a crew member,' Chippewa told ICT. 'As time went on, I thought, 'Why can't we start a Native film school, film studio and everything else?' I met Robert through a costume designer that I worked with. He sent me his script and I thought, 'Man, why isn't this thing being made?' "We have the infrastructure here, but also, we have the intellectual property," Chippewa said. "We have the content. We have all these different properties.' The first film, 'Smoke Alarm,' will be out in about a year. Ironically, the film, about the history of tobacco and lung cancer, is being funded by Big Tobacco, which is required under a court ruling to fund different projects to help people stop smoking. 'We're in pre-production,' Wilson said, 'and we're working on different aspects of it. We're seeking additional funding for it so we can get some good CGI [computer generated imagery].' And they're aiming high with plans for theatrical distribution and then streaming. 'We want to go inside the body, like 'Fantastic Voyage,'' Wilson said. 'We want [it] to be a feature film documentary, like 'Super Size Me' and 'Searching for Sugarman,' those kinds of films that go to the theater. 'Nobody's doing it like this,' he said. Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
