Billy Luther’s Narrative Debut Frybread Face And Me

Billy Luther, a native filmmaker, headed to SXSW on March 11 to premiere this narrative feature debut, Frybread Face and Me. The story dates back to the 90s and revolves around a Native American boy named Benny (Keir Tallman). 

Benny lives in San Diego and prefers to listen to Fleetwood Mac, watch soap operas, and play with dolls. His life changes completely when his parents force him to spend the summer on the reservation with his Grandma Lorraine’s sheep ranch in Arizona.

When he reaches granny’s place, he meets his cousin Dawn, Frybread Face (Charley Hogan). His cousin is a chubby 11-year-old tomboy. Benny was impressed with her personality and attitude. He has never met anyone like her. Not only does his cousin look different from other girls, but she also has incredible knowledge of Navajo tradition and language.  

Benny is introduced to his unruly Uncle Marvin and Navajo life on the Rez. As the story progresses, Benny and Fry spend their memorable summers together, which is something Benny didn’t expect.

“Frybread Face and Me” features completely native casts and primarily Native crew. In fact, you will see Navajo kids in the film, which helps spectators get a sneak peek of native people and how they behave and look.

According to Luther, with the help of Midhunter Casting, the team was able to find these passionate and talented kids. The film casts stars like Martin Sensmeier, Jeremiah Bitsui, and MorningStar Angeline. Besides that, you will also see the hardworking and talented new faces from the Indian country. Benny and Frybread’s story will keep you captivated toward the end. You will also get to see the loving cousin bond that will strengthen to the end.

This drama was one of the ten projects chosen for the 2020 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs. The film producer, Chad Burris, had tried his best to put emotions as much as possible to ensure the viewers can enjoy every second they spend on the film.

Apart from having an amazing director, Taika Waititi is the film’s producer. According to Luther, Waititi read the script and signed the contract without wasting a minute. 

The film was released on March 11, 2023, in the United States and included both English and Navajo language. The unique and engaging story is helping the movie get amazing ratings on different platforms. In fact, it has a 9.7 rating on IMDb, which is enough to give you a reason to watch it.