Melinda's Writing Pages: Pen to Paper

"Sand Creek Massacre: Award-winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald Vasicek

I am honored to have the opportunity to interview Award-winning Writer/Filmmaker Donald Vasicek.

1. What kind of films do you make?

Documentary and feature films.

2. What are you currently working on?

"Ghosts of Sand Creek", a documentary feature film. Peter Coyote ("ET", "Jagged Edge", "Erin Brokovich")is going to narrate the film. Academy Award winner RIchard Lerner ("A Story of Healing") is going to be the director of photography and there are five Emmy Award winners attached to the film.

3. If somebody wanted to become a filmmaker, how would you suggest for them to go about doing it?

Every good film requires a compelling story. It has a main theme that holds everything together. It requires a beginning, a middle, and an end. There are a host of books and seminars where one can learn to write scripts and make films. Films schools can be helpful as well, but most are very expensive and don't give the student that much hands on experience. Learn about lighting, sound and camera via books, etc. Get a camera and an editing program. Go out and shoot. Bring what you shoot back to your computer and edit it. Continue doing this until you get the lighting, the sound, the images, the story, the characters, etc. right. Study films. Study scripts. Incorporate filmmaking into your daily life until it becomes your daily life and you will be well on your way to success.

4. You are an awarding winning writer/filmmaker, tell us something about that.

I've won a variety of writing awards including awards from "Writer's Digest", Chesterfield Film Program, Sundance Screenwriter's Competition, to mention those that come to mind. Filmmaking awards include Best Documentary Film, The Indie Film Festival, The American Indian Film Festival, and the prestigious Golden Drover Award at the Trail Dance Film Festival.

5. You have done a film called, "Ghost of Sand Creek" Please tell us about it and how we can get a copy of it.

"Ghosts of Sand Creek" is a feature documentary film. The story is being told from point-of-view of Cheyenne and Arapaho people. It will be the first film about the Sand Creek Massacre that tells the story this way, and not the white man's way. The film will take the viewer to the numerous peace treaties the Cheyenne and Arapaho agreed to, without legal representation, from 1825 to 1890 when they saw they land shrink from 51 million acres to 160 acres each on reservations. Native people will tell their stories that their ancestors, survivors from the Sand Creek Massacre, passed on so that they can be recorded for historical purposes. Native Americans are dying due to white people's diseases, poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, etc. Their youth are becoming "Americanized." It is my hope that "Ghosts of Sand Creek" will create enough exposure to allow us to lobby Congress to get them to legislate a bill that will require Native American studies on all school curriculums. I encourage all others to help me out in accomplishing this. I am in the midst of raising $2.5 million to put the film into production. I am open to comments, questions, and suggestions that will help me out with this project.

6. Do you need contributions to help out with getting films like "Ghost of Sand Creek"

Yes. All contributions can be made to the American Indian Genocide Museum (http://www.aigenom.com/, indmuseum@yahoo.com) in Houston.

7. How can someone contribute to "Ghost of Sand Creek?" Please give link:

http://www.aigenom.com/. Be sure and mention that contributions are for the "Ghosts of Sand Creek" film project.

8. Have you done other films about the American Indian?

Yes. "The Sand Creek Massacre". It is a short film that is being distributed in North America and Asia by Films Media Group.

9. Please tell us something about yourself.

I've been a writer/filmmaker for several years. I live in Colorado. I act as a consultant for writers and filmmakers. I have published over 500 articles and books about writing.

10. Last but not least, tell us your take on the Sand Creek Massacre.

My take on the Sand Creek Massacre is that it occurred because of fear and ignorance. Ignorance of who the Cheyenne and Arapaho people really were, what they represented, and what they desired. Ignorance of the Cheyenne and Arapaho culture. Ignorance of utilizing violence over diplomatic discussion. Greed for the Cheyenne and Arapaho's land. All of these elements were fueled by fear. This fear was based on European people, who came upon the Cheyenne and Arapaho's land, whose knowledge of them, was limited to what they saw and what they experienced. These settlers new little, so little. To thrust themselves upon the Cheyenne and Arapaho people with their military power, were acts of fear and ignorance. The heinous slaughter, murder, rape, and mutilation at Sand Creek on November 29, 1864 was fueled by ignorance and fear of a few isolated clashes between white and Indian people. The Sand Creek Massacre is a perfect example of what we experienced with the Bush and Cheney administration in Iraq. Ignorance of how to deal with terrorists after 9/11 fueled their fear to lash out and kill others as a means to, as they said, "win", over the terrorists. It resulted in the unnecessary deaths of thousands of people. We can learn from the Sand Creek Massacre by juxtaposing what President Obama is incorporating in the world today, communication, discussions, diplomacy, so that the world can become a safer place to live.

Links to Don: http://donvasicek.com/

http://sandcreekmassacre.net/

Don, I must say I think what you are doing is wonderful. I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to help in some way.

Please if you can donate, please do so. It would be greatly appreciated.