Young Navajos get Sundance nod

By the time Donavan Seschillie, Jake Hoyungowa and Deidra Peaches finished making "The Rocket Boy," they didn't have $50 left for the fee to apply for the Sundance Film Festival.

Seschillie had to beg the selection committee to look at clips on the Internet and waive the fee.

They did, and Seschillie's determination paid off. In two weeks, the trio from Flagstaff can boast of being the youngest Native filmmakers to premiere a film at this year's festival, to be held Jan. 20-30 in Park City, Utah.

Seschillie, 22, Diné, knew he and his collaborators had something good, but he was still bowled over by the news on Dec. 6 that "Rocket Boy" had been picked as one of only 81 short films to be shown at Sundance, out of 6,467 entries.

"Nobody makes it the first time," he said. "Especially at our age." Peaches, Diné, is also 22 and Hoyungowa, Diné/Hopi, is only 21.

Besides, the film had already been turned down by two less prestigious film festivals.

"We're really excited," said Peaches, who wrote and produced the short film "Imagine" that Seschillie rewrote and expanded into "The Rocket Boy." "It means exposure for our work to all kinds of people who can help us continue our careers - independent producers, directors, actors."

Peaches describes "The Rocket Boy" as a "low, low, low budget film." It was made for $600, most of which went to an English composer whom Seschillie met on MySpace and decided would be the perfect person to write the score.

The actors are mainly Peaches' friends and relatives. The star of the movie, Michael Sangsteer, is the younger brother of one of Peaches' girlfriends. She discovered him while making "Imagine," which explored the playtime fantasies of several children.

"I was telling my friend, 'I need a kid for my movie,'" Peaches recalled. "She was like, 'My little brother's at home. He's not doing anything.'"

Peaches went over and encountered Sangsteer playing video games. At first he was reluctant to put down his Game Boy and act in Peaches' movie.

"He asked, 'Does it have guns? Does it have action?'" Peaches recalled. "I said, 'Well ... there could be some action.'"

Danielle Henry, who plays Sangsteer's mother in the film, is the only cast member with professional acting experience, having had small parts in several movies. She happens to be Peaches' cousin, so she was willing to help out. Timothy Cronley Jr., the father, is a former newscaster with whom Peaches worked at a local bookstore.

"It was kind of hard working with people who weren't professional actors," Seschillie recalled. "We had to film each scene about 30 times before they finally started talking slowly enough that you could understand them. I was helping Jake with the lights and stuff, so I couldn't give much direction."

In the movie, Calvin is a boy whose father left him and his mother when he was small. He desperately wants to find his dad, although his mother discourages him. He imagines building a rocket ship that can go all over the world in search of his father.

"It's more of a humanistic theme than a Native theme," Peaches said, "but it's a theme a lot of Natives and other minorities can relate to - not having that father figure in your life, and the strong desire to find that."

The film had enough Native connections to qualify for Sundance's Indigenous Shorts Showcase.

In fact, the film is semi-autobiographical for Seschillie.

"My story isn't as dramatic as the rocket boy's," he said, "but I grew up without a dad, and I remember questioning my mom and her wanting me to just forget about it."

When Seschillie saw Peaches' film three years ago, "I liked it but I wanted the rocket boy to have some motivation to create his fantasy," he recalled, "so I put the family story behind it."

Hoyungowa and Seschillie met in grade school, and used to get together to play with their GI Joe toys.

"I had a video camera, and we were always filming things," Hoyungowa said. One day Seschillie suggested they make a war movie starring their GI Joes.

"We set off firecrackers and burned leaves and stuff to make it look like a battle," Seschillie said. "It was actually pretty good. That was probably our first movie. We were in sixth grade."

Seschillie knew Peaches in grade school, but didn't know she was also making movies until they met again in a high school broadcasting class. She made "Imagine" in response to a National Museum of the American Indian project called "Thanksgiving Revisited," and it was selected for screening as part of that exhibit.

"Basically, it was an invitation to show what you're thankful for," she recalled. "I'm thankful for imagination."

The three are anxious to premiere their film and watch the audience's reaction, but for them it will be more about getting their work out there than hobnobbing with movie stars. Asked what she would wear to the premiere, Peaches replied, "I heard it's cold there, so probably just my Columbia jacket and some nice pants."

The trio is also anxious to get back from Sundance and show the film on the reservation.

"We want to do a little tour around the rez," Peaches said. "Watch for it in February or March."

"The Rocket Boy" will debut Friday, Jan. 21, at noon - at the Yarrow Hotel Theatre in Park City - and show at various locations in Park City and Salt Lake City until Jan. 29.

The three young moviemakers are not the only Diné headed north to Park City this month - Billy Luther, Navajo/Hopi/Laguna, will be premiering his full-length documentary, "Grab," his second Sundance appearance.

To see a trailer for "The Rocket Boy" and contribute to its post-production expenses, visit www.indiegogo.com/Post-Production-for-The-Rocket-Boy.

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