PRESS RELEASE:

Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond takes an entertaining, insightful, and often humorous look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through a century of cinema. The film examines the myth of "the Injun" portrayed by Hollywood and how this has influenced the world's understanding -- and misunderstanding -- of Native American history and culture. Narrated by Diamond with enthusiasm and good humor, Independent Lens: Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian airs on KUED Channel 7 Tuesday November 2 at 11:00 p.m.

Tracing the evolution of cinema's depiction of Native Americans from silent films to the present, Reel Injun takes the audience on a journey across America to some of cinema's most iconic landscapes, including Monument Valley, the Black Hills of South Dakota and more.

Clips from hundreds of Hollywood movies illustrate Diamond's points, while Native and non-Native film celebrities, activists, film critics, and historians discuss Hollywood's portrayal of the American indian.

Diamond meets with Clint Eastwood at his studios in Burbank, California, where the film legend discusses the evolution of the image of Indians in Westerns and what cowboy-and-Indian myths mean to America.

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