THE AUDIENCE cheered as the screen went dark and the credits rolled on Rez Ball. Hosted by the Santa Fe International Film Festival (SFIFF), the special screening was more than an early preview of the Netflix film, it was a celebration.
And why not? Based on a true story, the movie follows the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team from the Navajo Nation, who unite after the loss of their star player to keep their New Mexico state championship dreams alive.
Sydney Freeland, who was born in Gallup and attended high school in Farmington, co-wrote and directed the coming-of-age story starring a number of first-time actors and notable names such as Jessica Matten (Dark Winds), Amber Midthunder (Prey), and Kiowa Gordon (Dark Winds).
Roughly 3,000 New Mexicans, including 180 crew members, were involved in the production, which shot in Santa Fe, Shiprock, Albuquerque, and throughout the state. Some of those folks were on hand at the Violet Crown watching the big-screen fruits of their labors, including Freeland and Navajo Preparatory School grad Jojo Jackson, who beat out hundreds of hopefuls for a role as Warriors player Warlance Yazzie.
Jojo Jackson made his acting debut in "Rez Ball" as Warlance Yazzie.
Photograph by Tira Howard.
“This fell out of the sky in the best possible way,” says Freeland during the Q&A. She played basketball growing up and understands just how much the sport means on the reservation. “Netflix wanted to tell Rez Ball from the inside out.” That includes an early scene of Jackson singing the national anthem in front of a packed gym. The script, however, simply called for the playing of the anthem. So Jackson, a first-time actor, approached Freeland to ask who was singing it. “We’ll probably have it piped in,” she told him. Jackson said he’d sung it before and wondered whether she wanted it done in English—or Navajo, which clinched the offer.
“I knew some way, somehow, I was going to sing the national anthem,” Jackson recalls. It’s that dedication to authenticity that Freeland and the rest of the cast and crew created that made it possible—and makes Rez Ball special.
When the Q&A wrapped, the crowd lingered, snapping pictures and hoping to get up close with the stars. This month’s “Lights, Camera, New Mexico!” feature story puts you right in the action too. Because whether it’s on-screen or behind the scenes, there’s a lot to applaud about the Land of Enchantment’s role in this new streaming age of film and TV.
Read more: With streaming services opening new studios, A-list directors helming major productions, Native stories getting attention, and world-class crews taking on exciting projects, the Land of Enchantment is the center of the action.
