Rob Brown in The Seventh Fire. Director Jack Pettibone Riccobono himself, who used to be a projectionist at Upstate Films and spent a lot of time in Dutchess County as a kid, will be on hand to introduce this Friday’s screening and discuss the critically acclaimed film with the audience afterwards.
A new documentary to be screened this Friday at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck, The Seventh Fire, tells the story of Native American gang members on the White Earth Ojibwe reservation in northern Minnesota. When gang leader Rob Brown is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved community. As Rob reckons with his past, his 17-year-old protégé, Kevin, dreams of the future: becoming the most powerful and feared Native gangster on the reservation. Sounds like a dramatic narrative feature, but it’s real life: Director Jack Pettibone Riccobono and his crew became the first independent filmmakers crew to shoot within the Minnesota correctional system.
Executive produced, by Terrence Malick and Natalie Portman, this timely and powerful film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, was recently screened at the White House and has been named a “Critics’ Pick” by The New York Times. Riccobono himself, who used to be a projectionist at Upstate Films and spent a lot of time in Dutchess County as a kid, will be on hand to introduce the screening and discuss The Seventh Fire with the audience afterwards.
The show begins at 8:15 p.m. on Friday, September 16. Upstate Films is located at 6415 Montgomery Street (Route 9) in Rhinebeck. To view a trailer, visit www.theseventhfire.com.
