The long awaited and anticipated Navajo movie Turquoise Rose, filmed last year on the Navajo Reservation, officially premiered on June 29 and 30 in Window Rock, Arizona at  the Navajo Nation Museum.

The location was a carefully considered decision, notes Turquoise Rose Producer/Director Holt Hamilton.  

“This is a tremendous landmark event for a film, because up to this point it’s only been talk to the world. This will be the first place anyone can come and view the film and really see it for themselves.”  

“We turned down numerous other options as to where to hold this first showing, this world premiere, because none of them seemed right to me,” he continues. “I wanted to show it to the world for the first time in the place that it was about…a land that has found a special spot in my heart…and as far as I know this will be the first time a major film has held it’s world premiere in the capital of the Navajo Nation, a landmark event.” 

The movie will introduce first time Navajo actors Natasha Kaye Johnson, Deshava Apachee, Ethel Begay, Rhonda Ray, the well-known comedian Vincent Craig, and a number of other first timers to the big screen.  In addition, Ernie Tsosie III, from the comedy duo ‘James and Ernie’ plays an important part in the film. “I’m excited to let Navajoland see their own in the movie. It was a goal I set out to accomplish years ago and now it’s right here in front of me. Natasha has already had other opportunities to get in front of the camera…I know after this film comes out, so will Deshava and a lot of others. The opportunities are only beginning for Dinétah in the film world…I believed it. Now I know it.” 

Hamilton also went on to say that he hopes he can take this movie to other Indigenous communities around the country and in Canada. “It’s a film that can be enjoyed and related with by many people both native and non…but I really believe it will be a movie that every native home will own a copy of, right up there and next to their Smoke Signals copy.” 

To find where and when it will be screening, please log onto www.turquoiserosethemovie.com. For other questions please contact Donavon at donavonbarney@hhprod.com or call (602) 885.4868