STORY
The Reawakening is a story of one man’s struggle to acknowledge where he comes from before he can know where he truly belongs. For many years Native American attorney Robert Doctor has made a successful life for himself in New York City, miles away for his home on the Onondaga Nation. He has come to love his affluent life-style and the admiration of his fellow attorneys at the white shoe law firm where he is being groomed to become a partner. The brutal murder of a prison guard during an uprising thrusts Doctor back into the middle of reservation business and threatens his carefully built existence when a tribal elder pays him an unexpected visit. The elder asks him to defend David Hill, his childhood friend, who is accused of the guard’s murder. Defending corporations against lawsuits, Doctor has effectively mainstreamed to a point where no one in his law firm even considers him an Indian. He is even more confounded when coincidentally, his firm orders Doctor to represent a new client with ambitions to open a $600,000,000 casino on the Onondaga Nation. Going back to the Nation, to prepare for David’s defense and sell the elders on the casino, Robert faces his choice. The choice he makes will be between his own ambition and the enduring traditions of his people.
ABOUT THE FILM
Produced by American Indian Artists Inc. and the Onondaga Nation and written and directed by Diane Fraher (Osage/Cherokee), The Reawakening is the first independent feature film written and directed by a Native American woman and and wholly produced by Native people.
CAST
Michael Greyeyes, Apesanahkwat, Billy Daydodge, Glen Gould, Dawn Jamieson, Thomas Rhett Kee, Chief Irving Powless, Jr. Mark Reed, Jennifer Rice, Gordon Tootoosis, Dan Ziskie
AWARDS
2008 ANNUAL FARGO FILM FESTIVAL, FARGO ND Best Narrative Feature-Native American Voices; 2005 AMERICAN INDIAN FILM & TELEVISION AWARDS, LOS ANGELES Best Picture; Best Actor (Michael Greyeyes); Best Supporting Actor (Mark Reed)