It’s 1978 and Margo Crane, a 15-year-old part-Native teen, must take to the Stark River on an odyssey. Haroula Rose’s debut is based on the best-selling novel by Bonnie Jo Campbell. A river-led tale of awakening and struggle, Once Upon a River is an update on the Huck Finn fable but with a truly original heroine. Margo Crane hasn’t had it easy. Even her relatives pester her with insults because she’s part-Native. When one horrifying and wild night of family fighting comes to a deadly end, she has no choice but to cast herself out onto the river in a canoe. Her waterbound journey gives her a taste of love and leads her to an unlikely friendship that will change her life.
Bio
Haroula Rose is a filmmaker and musician. Once Upon a River is her feature directorial debut. Her pilot entitled Lost & Found was named one of the top things to see at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. Rose’s work has been supported by a Fulbright Fellowship in Madrid, Warner Brothers Directors Workshop, and Tribeca All Access. She received her BA and MA from the University of Chicago and attended University of Southern
California’s MFA program.
Screening with:
The Mozart of Fly Casting
Director: Kenneth Price / 4:59
Maxine McCormick began fly casting when she was 9 years old. At 15, she is the reigning world champion of the sport.