“Lady Warriors” Makes Its Arizona Premiere At Phoenix Film Festival

Phoenix, Ariz. - The Phoenix Film Festival in its second year of operation chose the award-winning documentary “Lady Warriors,” as one of its featured films for this year’s event. “Lady Warriors” has won two awards this past year, the “People’s Choice Award” from the Denver International Film Festival and “Best Feature Documentary Award” from the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, California.

In interviewing a mix of cross-cultural patrons coming out of the week-end presentation there was an overwhelming “Yes! We loved it!” support, endorsement, pride and excitement of film coverage of the totally Native running team and Hopi Coach Milfred Tewawina from Tuba City High.

Phoenix Film Festival is an international event that features two types of films, documentaries made for under a $1 million dollars and film-shorts made for $50,000 or less. The PFF is an event founded by filmmakers Chris LaMont and Golan Ramras in an effort to create a cultural event in the City of the Sun that would inspire creativity, celebrate hard work and talent from artists across the world.

This year’s event was held at the Arizona Center and patron attendance exceeded last years inaugural 3,000 mark. Phoenix mayor, Skip Rimsza gave opening remarks at the Festival event along with Luci Fontanilla, Program Manager of the City of Phoenix Film Office. The film “Lady Warriors” is the story of contemporary life on the Hopi and Navajo Indian reservations and the tradition of running in both tribes.

Storyteller, film-maker, John Goheen spent almost a year living inside these two reservation areas following the Tuba City High School cross-country team during their pursuit of an unprecedented fourth consecutive Arizona State Cross-Country championship.

This film shows the entirely Hopi and Navajo girls cross-country team in their everyday living situations featuring both Hopi and Navajo cultural considerations and their lives at Tuba City High School and its nurturing native community.

Comments from film patrons include the following, Maureen, a Zuni/Navajo native originally from the Eastern Navajo Rez, “ This is my first time at the Phoenix Film Festival.