''Hank Williams First Nation'' is a 2004 film directed by

Aaron James Sorensen Aaron James Sorensen (born June 6, 1966) is a Canadian musician, writer, producer, and director living in Calgary, Alberta. He has made several films and a mini-series. Early life Sorensen was born in Peace River, Alberta and attended the Univ ...

. It is Sorensen's first feature film. The film stars

Gordon Tootoosis Gordon Tootoosis, (October 25, 1941 – July 5, 2011) was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Poundmaker. He was acclaimed for his commitment t ...

Jimmy Herman Jimmy Herman (October 25, 1940 – September 13, 2013) was an Indigenous Canadian actor who appeared in several films, including '' Dances with Wolves''. Biography He was born on the Cold Lake Reserve in Alberta, Canada. His ancestors were ...

, Stacy Da Silva, and Colin VanLoon.

Plot

The film follows the story of a seventy-five-year-old

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

man named Martin Fox who has been reading too many tabloids, and begins to believe that

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

and

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

are still alive after their alleged deaths. From this he begins to wonder if his hero

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

is not still alive as well. Before Fox's death, and joined by his younger brother and teenage nephew, he commits to making a

Greyhound bus Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as intercity buses in Mexico. B ...

trip to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

to find out more about the country music legend and if he is truly deceased or still living.

Production

The film was shot on the

Woodland Cree First Nation The Woodland Cree First Nation is a First Nation in Alberta, Canada, in Northern Sunrise County northeast of the town of Peace River, encompassing the hamlet of Cadotte Lake. As of September 2010, 986 people are registered in Woodland Cree F ...

Northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

Reception

A presentation on the Canadian Film Database finds that "Many films like this seem to be excuses for a soundtrack CD but not in this case. This is solid story telling. And the music is great, including tracks by Joe Ely, Billy Joe Shaver, Old Reliable, Dave McCann, The Swiftys, Tim Hus and, of course,

Hank Williams Sr Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

." A mixed review for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' finds the film meets its "modest expectations".

References

External links

* * 2004 films Canadian comedy films Aboriginal Peoples Television Network original programming First Nations films 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films First Nations television series Algonquian peoples in popular culture {{2000s-Canada-film-stub