Frozen River

Frozen River - Melissa Leo and Misty Upham on Stereotypes

BlackTree TV Host Jessica Boyd, sits down with the stars from the film Frozen River, which made a lot of noise at this years Sundance Film Festival. S H O R T S Y N O P S I S Frozen River is the story of Ray Eddy, an upstate New York trailer mom who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl who lives on a reservation that straddles the US-Canadian border. Broke after her husband takes off with the down payment for their new doublewide, Ray reluctantly teams up with Lila, a smuggler, and the two begin making runs across the frozen St. Lawrence River carrying illegal Chinese and Pakistani immigrants in the trunk of Ray's Dodge Spirit. D I R E C T O R'S S T A T E M E N T I wrote this film after learning about women smugglers at the border of New York State and Canada who drive their cars across the frozen St. Lawrence River to make money to support their kids. The risk involved compelled me to write a story, not only about smuggling at the northern border, but also about what life circumstances would lead someone to take such chances. What I discovered was that a mother's instinct to protect her children is more powerful than any cultural, political or economic boundary line. Melissa Leo (Ray) and Misty Upham (Lila) embodied the unheralded struggle of single mothers of all ethnicities who are living on the edge. A B O U T T H E P R O D U C T I O N Shot on the Panasonic Varicam in 24 days, in sub-zero weather in Plattsburgh, New York with a bare-bones budget, the production of Frozen River depended on many things going right. Weather was a constant factor and the crew braved fierce cold and night shoots to get the footage and make our days. The actors, many of whom were first timers, showed commitment on the level of professionals and the professionals, especially Melissa Leo, led them with generosity of spirit and great skill. The other enormous factor was the participation of the people of Plattsburgh, New York, who supported us in a thousand ways and ultimately gave Frozen River a home. http://www.blacktree.tv A BlackTree Media Production Thank you for watching! Blacktree is at all the hottest events on the planet (award shows, movie premieres and press junkets, fashion shows, etc.) and now BLACKTREE ON TV brings stars to YOU on Soul of the South! Watch Full episodes below, and tune in! WEEKDAYS | 5:30 – 6:00pm, 1-1:30am WEEKENDS | 5 – 6:00pm Sat & Sun (CST) _________________________ BlackTree Media Production Subscribe to our channel http://goo.gl/lVN14 Log onto our stream at http://goo.gl/74Ama Follow us on twitter @BlackTreeTV Click here to see more unique video at Comcast Xfinity 'Celebrate BlackTV' click here: http://xfin.tv/1sgUqKk Click here to see more unique video at Comcast Xfinity 'Celebrate BlackTV' click here: http://xfin.tv/1sgUqKk Blacktree is at all the hottest events on the planet (award shows, movie premieres and press junkets, fashion shows, etc.) and now BLACKTREE ON TV brings stars to YOU on Soul of the South! Watch Full episodes below, and tune in! WEEKDAYS | 5:30 – 6:00pm, 1-1:30am WEEKENDS | 5 – 6:00pm Sat & Sun (CST) A BlackTree Media Production Subscribe to our channel http://goo.gl/lVN14 Log onto our stream at http://goo.gl/74Ama Follow us on twitter @BlackTreeTV