http://www.daily-times.com/news/ci_6989957

Director calls Kirtland showing of Navajo movie Turquoise Rose' a success

By Alysa Landry The Daily Times
Farmington Daily Times

KIRTLAND — Navajo Nation talent may go global if the director of "Turquoise
Rose" has his way.

More than 500 people bought tickets to see the movie during its two-day
premiere in Kirtland last week, and director Travis Hamilton promised more
movies that capture the culture and humor of the Navajo Nation.

"There are some great things that can happen out here," Hamilton told an
audience Friday night at Brooks Isham Performing Arts Center. "This is only
the beginning."

The 30-year-old director said he is showing the film at chapter houses
across the Nation and in alternative theaters in border towns. The film
also is showing in some mainstream theaters, and Hamilton will seek foreign
distribution in November.

"Turquoise Rose" is the coming-of-age story of a Navajo girl raised near
Phoenix. Turquoise is planing a vacation in Europe when she receives word
that her grandmother, who lives on the reservation, is sick. The aspiring
photojournalist must choose between caring for her grandmother and pursuing
her dream.

Hamilton served a two-year mission on the Navajo Nation for the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wrote the script for "Turquoise Rose"
while stationed in Iraq with the National Guard.

Inspired by John Woo, director of the 2002 film "Windtalkers," Hamilton
held auditions exclusively on the Navajo Nation, and 90 percent of his cast
and crew was Navajo.

"There's a quote by John Woo," Hamilton said Friday. "He said he auditioned
over 400 Navajos and never found any of them with any experience. But I
found that you've got to get Navajos from the Nation and you've got to be
given an opportunity to gain experience. I believe in you guys."

Hamilton said the production, which took five years and a crew of 500 to
create, was a dream come true. With only a handful of Navajo-made films on
the market, the time is ripe to accurately portray the Navajo people, he
said.

The best way to do that, Hamilton said, is to film Navajo talent on the
reservation. He is already at work on his second feature-length film —
another Navajo movie to be shot on the Nation.

"We sweated, we cried, we worked together to make a movie," Hamilton said
of "Turquoise Rose." "There are so many stories out there that need to be
told, and you have talent in all your communities."

An eager audience awaits Hamilton's productions, said Kirtland resident
Chester Benally. Hollywood movies portraying Navajos often fall short when
it comes to humor and culture, he said.

Benally grew up on the reservation and waited more than a year to see
"Turquoise Rose."

"I wanted to see it as soon as I could," he said. "It was like reliving my
own livelihood when I was growing up. It was emotional because it was so
real. it was a very heartfelt thing for me to see this."

Alysa Landry:

alandry@...