SuAnne Big Crow is the Pine Ridge female basketball star in history, that you need to know
For lovers of ‘Rez Ball,’ — the recent basketball smash hit film by director Sydney Freeland and co-writer Sterlin Harjo — there is another basketball-themed film available to the public, which is now streaming online, including Roku. The film is titled, ‘Big Crow.’
The film details the life of Pine Ridge resident and Oglala Lakota basketball star, SuAnne Big Crow. It was directed by Kris Kaczor of 750 Productions.
Film description below courtesy of 750 productions
“Big Crow” is a story about a young female basketball star, who grew up on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. By age fourteen, SuAnne Big Crow had become one of the the states best basketball players. By age seventeen, her wisdom, leadership, and determination had made her a household name across the Great Plains.
Thirty years after her tragic death, SuAnne’s spirit has proven legendary; everyone you meet on “the Rez” has a story about how SuAnne’s pride in her people continues to galvanize the Lakota in their fight to reclaim their language and save their culture. Through never-before-seen VHS coverage of her games and home videos and extensive interviews, we examine who SuAnne was on and off the court. “Big Crow” chronicles how this young Lakota leader crossed racial divides to propel her culture into a better tomorrow.
We see SuAnne’s continued influence on her alma mater, the 2018-2019 Pine Ridge Lady Thorpes, as they fight for another Class A state championship. One current player is said to play just like SuAnne. On the Rez and on the court, everybody’s looking for the next SuAnne. Will we find her?
Big Crow film trailer
According to Kaczor, “The making of this film was very challenging. I consider the whole process a great teacher. I made many mistakes, made many good decisions, and got lucky a lot of the time. I became fascinated with the story of SuAnne and the importance of the Lakota culture and just went to the Rez without much plan. So being a random white guy walking into the reservation, I was met with doubt. Through the help and trust of Inila Wakan, the story producer of the film, I was given more trust from locals on Pine Ridge. I thank SuAnne’s family for their dedication and help. In the process, we realized that our collective goal was to bring needed attention to the preservation of SuAnne’s Happy town USA.”
“So that is a part that we’re proud to feature in the film. I feel content with the completion of the film and am hopeful that it will draw the necessary attention to a positive story from the Rez. We set out to make a story of hope in a hopeless land, and this is our offering. Our desire is the preservation of Lakota culture.”
Big Crow is now available on ROKU, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Cable and Satellite On Demand.
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Right on Vincent thanks for sharing with your readership and media.