Yahoo Finance Taika Waititi-EP’d ‘Frybread Face & Me’ Sees Macro, River Road, REI Co-op Studios & Fit Via Vi Join Billy Luther-Directed Feature
EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off completing shooting in New Mexico, the Taika Waititi executive produced feature Frybread Face and Me now has some heavy hitters on board to see the Billy Luther-directed film over the finish line.
Charles D King’s Macro, along with River Road and REI Co-op Studios, have teamed with Chad Burris’ Indion Entertainment to finance the Indigenous coming-of-age tale.
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“We cannot measure our gratitude for the support and encouragement the film has received from our partners,” Burris told Deadline. “Equally immeasurable is the value these dynamic partners bring collectively through their commitment to uplifting underrepresented voices and perspectives. Their shared enthusiasm is apparent in the projects they choose to champion and the reason they are great partners for this film.”
Waititi and Luther, who also penned the film, will serve as EPs along with Macro’s King, Poppy Hanks and Greta Talia Fuentes as well as REI Co-op Studios’ Paolo Mottola and Joe Z. Crosby. Additionally, Fit Via Vi’s William G. Way and Elliott Whitton are also EPs with Bill Pohlad, Kim Roth and Christa Zofcin Workman from River Road Entertainment. Martha Gregory, Robina Riccitielio, Evan Arnold and Delaney Buffet and teams from Good Gravy, World of Ha and World of Wonder are EPs too. Nomandland‘s Dan Janvey and Rebecca Wyzan will co-produce the feature.
A graduate of the 2020 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, the semi-autobiographical film from Miss Navajo director Luther focuses on a 12-year-old city kid named Benny who is sent under protest to live on his grandmother’s ranch. The experience on the Navajo reservation opens his eyes to his own family and history, as well as that of his Indigenous culture — as you can see in these first looks from the film.
Keir Tallman plays Benny, with Sarah H. Natani as his Grandma Lorraine, Kahara Hodges as his Aunt Ann, Martin Sensmeier as Uncle Marvin, and Charley Hogan as cousin Fry.
As Deadline exclusively reported in June, Yellowstone alum MorningStar Angeline portrays Benny’s mother. Now Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul vet Jeremiah Bitsui has joined the all Native cast as Uncle Roger.
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