Growing up in the environs of Houston, 14-year-old Kris has no father to speak of and a mom behind bars; she hangs out with delinquents and lives in an impoverished community – all factors that put this particular youth “at risk.” As well as pushing back on what little authority her grandmother-guardian provides, Kris picks fights in school and breaks into the house of a neighbour to host an impromptu party. It’s this last stunt that lands her in trouble: The owner comes home, the cops are called, but Abe, a former bull rider, decides not to press charges, so long as Kris agrees to help him with errands.
“I spent ten years working as a teacher in Washington before going to film school. My students were Native Americans and lived in these cut-off reserves. Many of them felt left behind. We mainly made documentaries together, but sometimes we fictionalised life experiences they found too painful to discuss openly. I've never forgotten that, and I started taking an interest in writing and making movies based on real people and communities, drawing on my experience to shape my narrative approach.” (Annie Silverstein)
Annie Silverstein
An award-winning filmmaker and media educator based in Texas, US. Annie spent a decade teaching and collaborating on community film-based projects with Native American youth on reservations across Washington State, and was awarded a Fulbright in 2007 for her film project with homeless youth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bull is her first fiction feature.