Changeling (2009)

A young Abenaki chief in 1774 loses his family in an attack and attempts to redress his loss by taking a young white girl prisoner. She, too, is without a family, for very different reasons. What they discover surprises both of them.

Director:

Irene Miracle

Writers:

Irene Miracle, F.X. Feeney

Stars:

Mimi the Dog, Dustin 'Longhair' Mignault, Marta Miracle

Cast

Credited cast:
Mimi the Dog	...	Meh-meh - the dog
Dustin 'Longhair' Mignault	...	Abenaki Relative
Marta Miracle	...	Marta (the orphan)
Mike 'Frog' Plant	...	Marta's Avenging Angel
Hawk Longtoe Schulmeisters	...	Abenaki boy
Lina Longtoe Schulmeisters	...	Young Abenaki woman
Marc Schwach	...	British rifleman
Brieanna Longtoe Sheehan	...	Bri
Roger Longtoe Sheehan	...	Abenaki Chief
Tory Longtoe Sheehan	...	Older Abenaki boy
Vera Longtoe Sheehan	...	Abenaki mother

Storyline

The year is 1774. The place is that wilderness white people call northern Vermont, along the shores Lake Champlain. The turmoil of the impending American Revolution menaces the Elnu Abenaki -- a tribe traditionally allied with the French. As the story begins, one family-sized village are massacred as potential enemies by British scouts. The lone survivor of this attack is a young chief who was away on a trading mission. This man's name is Whlogwilas -- "Night Owl". His wife and small daughter die in his arms. A handmade doll is all he has left of either of them. Elsewhere in the forest, a European orphan named Marta wanders, defenseless, after the sudden death of her brutal stepfather. This man -- whose Puritanical fire-sermon opens the film -- heaps so much venom on all around him, especially young Marta, that it is no surprise when a native tribesman takes revenge by killing him, and makes an expressive display of the dead body. Shortly the white orphan and the Abenaki brave cross ...

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Plot Keywords:

american revolution | abenaki indian | culture clash | native american | period drama

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Taglines:

a tale of Lake Champlain, 1774

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Genres:

Short | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Language:

English Italian

Also Known As:

Dawnland

Filming Locations:

Vermont, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

MiracleGirl productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was made in four days, on a shoestring budget, using a non-professional cast, and makes use of the nearly extinct Abenaki dialect.

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