The Cherokee Nation and its film office are celebrating the premiere of Land of Gold and the first production of its kind to be filmed at the tribe’s studios and state-of-the-art virtual soundstage located in Owasso.
The film, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nardeep Khurmi, debuted at the Tribeca Festival in New York City this month.The film follows truck driver and expectant father Kiran, played by Khurmi, as his already tumultuous life takes a drastic turn when he sets out to reunite a young girl named Elena, played by Caroline Valencia, with her family after he discovers the child stowed away in a shipping container.Land of Gold is the 2021 winner of AT&T Presents: Untold Stories – a multiyear, multitier alliance between AT&T and Tribeca Festival.
Each year the program awards a deserving, underrepresented filmmaker $1 million to produce their film and provides mentorship and first-look opportunities for distribution.“Inclusive storytelling is important not only in front of the camera, but behind as well.
This story of hyphenated Americans could not have been made without the support of the Cherokee Nation, whose generosity allowed us to film our road trip sequences in comfort and in safety,” said Khurmi. “I’m honored to have made my first film about what it is to be American with the collaboration of First Nations people.
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