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Film shot in Havre picked for prestigious festival

Directors of "Winter in the Blood" had hoped to premiere their movie in Havre, but they will have to settle for the prestigious Los Angeles Film Festival.

Festival organizers announced that 12 movies, including "Winter in the Blood," have been chosen to premiere at the festival, which runs June 13-23.

Co-director Andrew Smith said he was "thrilled and honored" that the film was chosen to debut at LAFF."

Most of the film was shot on the Hi-Line, especially in Havre, Chinook and Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, in the summer of 2011.

Twenty-one first-time actors, all from Montana and many from Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy's Indian reservations, are in the film. More than 100 extras, most from the Hi-Line, were used.

"This has been a labor of love that stretches back a generation," said Smith, an associate professor at the University of Montana's School of Media Arts.

After the Los Angeles festival, he and co-director Alex Smith, his brother, will be working on a schedule for the film.

"We want to be in Havre," he said. "We feel like the Hi-Line is a co-star.

"At every stage, from early grants to open casting calls, from raising money to location scouting, from shooting on location to our extended post-production phase, we are grateful for the support of countless Montanans to keep us going strong," he said.

They are also planning a tour of Indian reservations around Montana.

A preliminary showing was made before the Native American student group at Yale University, and it received rave reviews, he said.

"Winter in the Blood" is a film based on James Welch's novel.

It tells the story of Virgil First Raise, a young and troubled Blackfeet and Gros Ventre Native American from Fort Belknap, and his quest to retrieve his renegade wife and the rifle she took from him.

Much of the film takes place in Havre, both at bars and in outdoor areas around town.

First Raise is portrayed by Chaske Spencer, a Fort Peck native.

In selecting the movie for the festival, organizers said it followed "the tough, lyrical, magical spirit of James Welch's classic novel of Native American life."

It was, they said, a "hauntingly beautiful movie."

Alex and Andrew's award-winning projects epitomize the film talent we have in Montana."

Montana Film Commissioner Deny Skaggs praised the Smith brothers for their work.

"Their vision for bringing Montana stories to the big screen has been extraordinary," he said.

Staggs will attend the L.A. festival and host a reception to honor "Winter in the Blood."

He said he hopes to increase Montana's exposure and attract other film projects to the state.

Staggs said the Smiths received tax breaks under the Big Sky on the Big Screen program.

 

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