November 12, 2004

"An Evening With Trudell" Features a Documentary by Native Filmmaker Heather Rae

Boise State University Cultural Center will present a screening of the documentary “Trudell” by filmmaker Heather Rae at 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 22, in the Boise State Special Events Center. “Trudell” follows the life work of Native American poet/activist John Trudell. An open discussion with Rae and Trudell will follow the screening. Tickets are $5 general and $1 with student ID. For more information, call the Cultural Center at 426-5950. Trudell is a former member of “Indians of All Tribes,” a group of activists who began the contemporary Indian people’s movement by occupying Alcatraz Island for 21 months beginning in 1979 to get international recognition of the Native American cause. Because of his work, he is considered a major political activist of the 1970s and has a 17,000-page FBI file. Trudell has also had a 20-year music career and has worked with artists such as Jackson Brown, Jesse Ed Davis, Jeff Beck and Tony Hymas. His latest CD, Bone Days, has been described as “a jarring, steely glimpse at the underbelly of the world through his sometimes cynical eyes.” Rae, an adjunct professor of communication at Boise State, was formerly director of the Native American Program for the Sundance Film Festival. She has produced several films, including American Monster, filmed in Stanley, Idaho, and starring Adam Beach; Backroads, which premiered at Sundance 2000; CBS’s 500 Nations; Turner Broadcasting’s The Native Americans; and PBS’s Storytellers of the Pacific. -30- Contact: Ro Parker, Cultural Center, (208) 426-5950, roparker@boisestate.edu  Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, communications and marketing, 208 426-3275.