Ep. 61 - Finding Home in FRYBREAD FACE AND ME: A Conversation with Filmmaker Billy Luther
…my grandmother didn't judge me, and she was allowing me…to act things out and talk to myself. And I think that's the beauty of kind of just going home to the rez….I hope that most of us have had at going home to our grandparents. It was safe.
Billy Luther
In episode 61,The Boston Sisters are talking with filmmaker Billy Luther (Navajo, Hopi, Laguna Pueblo) about his 2023 feature film FRYBREAD FACE AND ME. The conversation highlights the film's themes of identity, family, and cultural heritage, and the impact of executive producer Taika Waititi.
Set in 1990 FRYBREAD FACE AND ME (Netflix) follows 11-year-old Benny from San Diego, and his precocious cousin Dawn (also known as Frybread Face) as they bond during a summer with their Diné-speaking grandmother at her ranch on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. It’s a transformative summer for Benny and Dawn who are learning more about their family’s past, their culture, and themselves.
GUEST
Recently Billy Luther is story editor, writer and director for the AMC Plus series DARK WINDS based on the detective novels by Tony Hillerman.
Follow Billy Luther on Instagram | Download a transcript of this podcast conversation
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FRYBREAD FACE AND ME
Winner of the best narrative feature at the 2023 Urbanworld Film Festival, FRYBREAD FACE AND ME follows two adolescent Navajo cousins from different worlds as they bond during a summer on their grandmother’s Arizona ranch, learning more about their family’s past and about themselves. FRYBREAD FACE AND ME is the first feature film by writer/director Billy Luther (Navajo, Hopi, Laguna Pueblo). Produced by Chad Burris and executive produced by Taika Waititi (Maori), the film stars Kier Tallman (Benny), Charley Hogan (Dawn/Frybread Face), Martin Sensmeier (Uncle Marvin), Kahara Hodges (Aunt Lucy), and Sarah Natani (Grandma Lorraine).
FRYBREAD FACE AND ME is streaming on Netflix. You can also book a screening from ARRAY.