Written, directed and co-produced by Sandy Greer
Everett
Soop, a Blackfoot, lives on the Blood Indian Reserve in southern Alberta. Muscular
dystrophy has confined him to a wheelchair for several years, but it has not
subdued his spirit. He is an outspoken journalist and political cartoonist –
a crusader for Native rights, a man of acerbic wit, educated himself in anthropology,
arts and philosophy.
In Soop on Wheels, the filmmaker captures the essence of a man with impressive intellectual and spiritual resources, who has had to face the challenges of being both indigenous and disabled. These problems have been compounded by the loneliness of being set apart from his own people, who fear his illness and are wary of his controversial stands.
Everett's survival tools have been his sense of humor, his artistic gifts, and the spiritual values taught to him by his grandparents. He is proud of his own culture and speaks Blackfoot fluently. He is the only Native artist represented in the permanent collection of the Museum of Caricatures of the Canadian National Archives. Here is a portrait of an extraordinary man who defies the stereotypical image of his culture.
*International Film Festival, Lisbon, 2000
* Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Video Festival, 2000
* Native American Film and Video Festival, New York, 2000
* Sundance International Film Festival, 2000
* First People's Festival, Montreal, 2000
* Taos Talking Pictures Festival, 1999
* American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco, 1999
* Aboriginal Voices Festival, 1999
"A touching film of the triumph of persistence over adversity..." Winds
of Change
"Heartfelt and important filmmaking." Sundance Program
52 min. Video or DVD. Sale $195. Rental $75. Smaller non-profit organization may apply for discounts.
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