The Only Good Indian
Encyclopedia
The Only Good Indian is a 2009 independent feature film
directed by Kevin Willmott
.
The film was shot almost entirely in Kansas
-- the only exception being a scene at Missouri
's Ha Ha Tonka State Park
-- featuring locations such as the Monument Rocks
and Fort Larned
. Filming occurred in 2007-2008 and the movie premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
, subsequently showing at other film festivals. The film won Willmott "Best Director" honors at the American Indian Film Festival
, as well as acting honors for Wes Studi and Winter Fox Frank.
. When he escapes to return to his family, Sam Franklin (Wes Studi
), a bounty hunter of Cherokee
descent, is hired to find and return him to the institution. Franklin, a former Indian scout for the U.S. Army, has renounced his Native heritage and has adopted the White Man’s way of life, believing it’s the only way for Indians to survive. Along the way, a tragic incident spurs Franklin’s longtime nemesis, the famous `Indian Fighter` Sheriff Henry McCoy (J. Kenneth Campbell
), to pursue both Franklin and the boy.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
directed by Kevin Willmott
Kevin Willmott
Kevin Willmott is a professor of film at the University of Kansas and a movie director known for work focusing on black issues including writing and directing Ninth Street, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America and Bunker Hill....
.
The film was shot almost entirely in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
-- the only exception being a scene at Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
's Ha Ha Tonka State Park
Ha Ha Tonka State Park
Ha Ha Tonka State Park is a state park in Missouri, United States, located near Camdenton on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. The area has several caves, sinkholes, and bluffs overlooking the lake. The most notable feature of the park is the stone ruins of a mansion, called "the...
-- featuring locations such as the Monument Rocks
Monument Rocks (Kansas)
Monument Rocks are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas, rich in fossils. It is a National Natural Landmark. It was the first landmark chosen by the US Department of the Interior as a national natural landmark. The chalk formations reach a height of up to 70 ft. and include...
and Fort Larned
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Fort Larned National Historic Site, located six miles west of Larned, Kansas, United States, preserves Fort Larned, which operated from 1859 to 1878...
. Filming occurred in 2007-2008 and the movie premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, subsequently showing at other film festivals. The film won Willmott "Best Director" honors at the American Indian Film Festival
American Indian Film Festival
The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated to Native American films and prepared the way for the 1979 formation of the American Indian Film Institute....
, as well as acting honors for Wes Studi and Winter Fox Frank.
Plot
The story is set in Kansas during the early 1900s. A teenaged Native American boy (newcomer Winter Fox Frank) is taken from his family and forced to attend a distant Indian `training` school to assimilate into White societyAmericanization (of Native Americans)
The Americanization of Native Americans was an assimilation effort by the United States to transform Native American culture to European-American culture between the years of 1790–1920. George Washington and Henry Knox were first to propose, in an American context, the cultural transformation of...
. When he escapes to return to his family, Sam Franklin (Wes Studi
Wes Studi
Wesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
), a bounty hunter of Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
descent, is hired to find and return him to the institution. Franklin, a former Indian scout for the U.S. Army, has renounced his Native heritage and has adopted the White Man’s way of life, believing it’s the only way for Indians to survive. Along the way, a tragic incident spurs Franklin’s longtime nemesis, the famous `Indian Fighter` Sheriff Henry McCoy (J. Kenneth Campbell
J. Kenneth Campbell
J. Kenneth Campbell is an American film, stage, and television actor with distinctive features that has been cast in over 80 roles.He was born in Flushing, New York.-External links:...
), to pursue both Franklin and the boy.
External links
- TheOnlyGoodIndian.com Official Site
- IMDB
- "The Only Good Indian" Sundance Film Festival website