THE REACH THE REZ DOCUMENTARY FILM -- OVERVIEW

Statistics in Indian Country have never been more alarming.  American Indian reservations and communities place highest amongst all minorities concerning rates of suicide, crime, high school drop out’s, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol addiction, gang activity, AID’s and the list goes on.

The Reach The Rez film documents the unprecedented journey of the first year of the annual Reach the Rez Project as it traveled to over 211 Tribal Nations, logging over 54,000 miles bringing hope to Native American communities and their youth.  The Reach the Rez film also captures the stories and experiences of tribal elders and leaders from each reservation, attesting to the current state of affairs in Indian Country…as told by the people themselves.  Additionally, The Reach the Rez film also captures the dynamics of the Reach the Rez traveling crew, its performers and presenters and audiences. We will see relationships form and drama develop, offering up alternative stories to follow during the film.

In 2012, filmakers will travel back to 48 of the 211 Tribal Nations filmed during the initial Reach The Rez campaign (2005-2006) to document those communities and the people who were interviewed seven years earlier.  Principal photography of the Reach the Rez film will conclude in 2012. The release of the Reach The Rez film is slated for 2013.

The Reach the Rez film is sure to be a timeless documentary that will be distributed as an entertaining, educational and inspirational movie. We believe that the Reach the Rez film will begin a paradigm shift regarding the misconception of American Indian people, their communities and the misinformation that has prevailed in mainstream society for generations. The impact of this film will register deeply both within and outside the Native American community.

Reach The Rez Documentary Film Director and Producer -- Valerie Woods.

Valerie began her writing career in order to provide suitable material for herself, and then for fellow actors, in a New York showcase. The direct result of those endeavors was Something for Everyone (50 Original Monologues), which is published by Samuel French, Inc.

With the success of her writing projects, including the Off-Broadway production of the one-act play, White Wine, Valerie decided on a creative writing career instead of acting.

After an exhausting (but rewarding) side trip into teaching Middle School, Valerie moved to Southern California, where she began working as a staff writer of corporate training and educational videos and films at AMBC/Wild Eye Pictures.  She was accepted into theWalt Disney Studios Fellowship program based on the screen adaptation of one of her stage plays.   During her year at Disney, Valerie completed her fourth screenplay, which led to …

… an eleven year career as a network and cable television writer and producer.  Go figure.  Her television career began with writing on three shows for CBS.  On the critically acclaimed one hour drama series, Under One Roof, she worked with the great James Earl Jones.  On the popular drama series, Touched by an Angel, she wrote the 2nd season episode “Reunion” which allowed her to work with Dr. Maya Angelou and Natalie Cole. The following year, Valerie wrote for the “Angel” spinoff Promised Land.

Valerie then moved over to cable and became a Co-Executive Producer/Writer on the drama series, Any Day Now on the Lifetime Network. Her episode, “Family is Family”, was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.  She was the Consulting Producer on the final season of Soul Food on Showtime Network.

Breaking out on her own, Valerie wrote and directed the short film,The Last Wash. She then spent over a year on the road crisscrossing the United States with the Association for American Indian Development and Litefoot, a Native American actor, rapper, and motivational speaker on the Reach the Rez tour. After a yearlong hiatus, Valerie is currently in post-production on the feature Reach The Rez documentary film, which chronicles the journey of the Reach The Rez Project to 211 American Indian communities.  She is also in development on two documentary shorts Facing the Rising Sun – A biography of Ericka Huggins and TAPestry – A look at an LA teen tap dancing ensemble.

In April 2011, Valerie was signed by award-winning actress, producer and director, Phylicia Rashad, to write a screenplay based on the novel by Dianne McKinney-Whetstone, Tempest Rising.