On a Knife Edge

Abstract

On a Knife Edge is the coming of age story of a teenage Lakota boy, George Dull Knife guided by his father, growing up in the poorest district of the United States but born into a family rich in culture and tradition, a family that five generations back led their tribe. It's been a 6 year [and counting] labour of love project and has developed organically. The film follows George as he becomes involved in the American Indian Movement [AIM] and takes to the streets to protest alcohol and other injustices his tribe face. Across the years we spend time at home, school, out in Pine Ridge with his father, and follow him out on the protest trail, all of which leads him ultimately to Standing Rock and the protests there against the oil pipeline, via White Clay and Wounded Knee. The film is Directed by Jeremy Williams [Ghosts of the 7th Cavalry, Orphans of Burma's Cyclone], produced by Eli Cane [Land Rush, Market Maker] of Normal Life Pictures, photography by Steve Robinson [Amish: A Secret Life] and it is edited by Nick Fenton [The Arbor, The Selfish Giant, Submarine]. The doc is funded by ITVS, Vision Maker, Gucci TriBeCa Doc Fund, South Dakota Humanities & Nebraska Humanities Councils and is a co-production between Normal Life Pictures and 24 Frames Per Second Films