WAR PONY

Two boys on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Bill (Jojo Bapteise Whiting) is 23, the father of two small children, and wants to make something of himself: he siphons petrol, makes deliveries, breeds poodles – the American dream in the version left over for him. Matho (LaDainian Crazy Thunder) is twelve and cannot wait to become a man. He seeks his young father’s approval, deals on the side, and a series of thoughtless decisions throws his life off course. The two boys’ paths cross only in passing, yet they are looking for the same thing: a place where they belong. “War Pony” by Riley Keough and Gina Gammell (United States, 2022) tells of growing up Lakota, without accusation and without consolation.

Actress Riley Keough and Gina Gammell developed the film over several years together with their co-writers Franklin Sioux Bob and Bill Reddy, whose life experiences were divided between the two characters – a debut that does not look at Pine Ridge from the outside. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes in 2022; there, “War Pony” received the Caméra d’Or for the best first feature of the entire festival. “War Pony” was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2022.

Shown at the 2022 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2022 · Film Archive