FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ST. PAUL, MN (June 15, 2022) – Boucha (working title) is the most recent Twin Cities PBS (TPT) project led by director and producer Leya Hale (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota, Diné). The project has received a production award of $150,000 from Vision Maker Media’s Public Media Fund. The film previously received $25,000 from the Manitou Fund.
Boucha is the next big project overseen by Hale who also directed Bring Her Home for TPT, a one-hour documentary that examined the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Bring Her Home aired nationally on PBS in March 2022 and has been screened at film festivals across the world. Hale brings an important perspective to Boucha as a Native storyteller, filmmaker, and producer. Her work on Boucha will continue TPT’s efforts to be Minnesota’s storyteller by uplifting diverse stories and sharing Minnesota’s history.
The documentary is a collaboration between hockey legend Henry Boucha (Ojibwe) and TPT, directed and produced by Hale, that tells the story of Boucha’s life. He was a stand-out hockey star from Warroad, Minnesota, who impressed on the ice in the Minnesota High School hockey tournament, the 1972 Olympics in Japan, and the NHL.
The documentary details his athletic success until his NHL career was cut short by an on-ice assault and injury, his legal battles with the NHL, and his journey of healing and cultural reclamation. The film’s tag line explains: Boucha is not about winning and losing—on the ice or in the courtroom; it is about a man uncovering hidden pride for his people and culture.
Vision Maker Media is a premier source of public media by and about Native Americans since 1976. Their mission is empowering and engaging Native people to share stories. The award to support the production of Boucha is part of the $1 million Vision Maker Media has awarded 11 Native filmmakers for public media documentaries this year.
###
About Twin Cities PBS
Twin Cities PBS (TPT)’s mission is to enrich lives and strengthen our community through the power of media. Established 64 years ago, TPT now operates as a public service media organization that harnesses a range of media tools to serve citizens in new ways — with multiple broadcast channels, online teaching resources, educational outreach and community engagement activities reaching more than 2 million people each month. Over its history, TPT has been recognized for its innovation and creativity with numerous awards, including Peabody awards and national and regional Emmy® Awards. Find more information at tpt.org.
© Twin Cities Public Television - 2022. All rights reserved.
Comments
Read Next
