Q-Cs Fourth Wall Chosen For National Film Project
Moline’s Fourth Wall Films has been selected to produce a visitor center film for South Dakota’s newest state park — Good Earth State Park at Blood Run near Sioux Falls. Mid-America Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle successfully competed with 42 proposals by 36 other companies nationwide to win the $276,000 contract from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Department.
The Good Earth State Park at Blood Run Visitor Center film will present the fascinating story of this historical and cultural site as told by a Native American grandfather to his grandchildren. The Rundles will coordinate the production with South Dakota GFP department officials and representatives from five American Indian nations.
Produced in 4K high-definition, the documentary will combine vivid present-day views of the park’s vegetation, wildlife, and scenic vistas with dramatic historical reenactments portraying daily life in one of America’s largest indigenous cities. The film also will feature commentary from tribal elders and representatives of the Omaha, Ponca, Ioway and Otoe-Missouria tribes, scholars and archaeologists. Most production will take place on the Good Earth site with additional filming at Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa, and in the Quad Cities area.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Kevin Railsback, from Cedar Rapids, will serve as the director of photography. Railsback’s extraordinary nature footage has been featured on National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and in commercials for companies like AT&T.
The Good Earth village site was occupied between 1300 and 1700 by ancestors of the present-day Omaha, Ponca, Ioway and Otoe tribes, making it one of the oldest long-term habitation sites in the United States. At its peak around 1650, the site may have been home to as many as 10,000 residents.
Good Earth was a thriving and important Native trading center for pipestone, bison hides, pottery, agricultural goods and culture. The once-vibrant city featured lodges of many different sizes, earthen mounds, and a one-eighth mile-long serpent effigy.
The National Historic Landmark is situated south of Sioux Falls where it spans the Big Sioux River in both South Dakota and Iowa. The Good Earth State Park at Blood Run Visitor Center will feature the film and a museum exhibit. The new facility is scheduled to open in April 2017.
Kimberly Furness of Davenport will serve as the Casting Director on the project. A casting call for the film will take place through June 19 for three Native American lead roles (professional actors: male late 50s-early 70s; male child age 8-12; female child age 8-12), and for twelve to sixteen re-enactment roles (Native professional actors of all ages, as well as Native people with no formal training; long hair a plus; fit; filming takes place in outdoor natural settings). Also casting one Euro-American male role (age 40s-50s, fit, with beard). All roles are paid. Auditions will take place in Sioux Falls, SD; Des Moines, IA; and the Quad Cities, IA/IL area in July, with production scheduled for August and September. All Native peoples will be considered, but special consideration will be given to members of the Omaha, Ponca, Ioway, and Otoe-Missouria tribes. Email Casting Director Kimberly Furness at Kimberlyann2771@yahoo.com for more information/details and to send headshots, resumes, and/or video samples to by June 19. This is a non-union production.
Previous contract work by the Rundles includes “Letters Home to Hero Street” for WQPT-PBS and “Any Kid Anywhere: Sex Trafficking Survivor Stories” for Braking Traffik. The Rundles’ independently produced award-winning films include “Villisca: Living with a Mystery,” the “Lost Nation: The Ioway” three-part series, “Country School: One Room – One Nation” and “River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6.” Their latest film “The Barn Raisers” is set for release in 2016.
