Coming Soon... Daughter of the Plains

To say the event on Friday evening had "standing room only" is accurate, considering the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum was designed for viewing, not sitting. Douglas Cunningham, who wrote and filmed "Daughter of the Plains" arrived in Malta on Thursday evening to prepare for the open house at the museum on Friday. With approximately 60 in attendance, the space was quickly filled. Board members and volunteers hosted a "wine and dine" reception for the gathering. In conjunction, GPDM had a 50/50 drawing and an opportunity to buy chances on the "Spin the Wheel" with Taylor Sjostrom pinch-hitting for Vanna White.

Cunningham shared his thoughts on how things were going, "It is looking really great! We have scenes from the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, the Maltana Motel, the Scandia Lutheran Church, Phillips County Hospital, the Hitching Post Café, the Villa Theatre, St. Mary's Catholic Church and various neighborhoods, as well."

Cunningham said the first showing of the film will probably be at a film festival, probably in Utah or here. "The film will be done by December, we hope to come back here when the weather allows, and in the spring to screen it here at the Villa. Part of why I am here is to advertise that event and to talk to folks about fund raising and so on."

He stated "Every time you do this it seems like there is something you miss, and so when we got home we found out we needed this shot and this shot, so we had to 'fake' a couple of things being Montana back in Utah. Fortunately, there are some places that look a little bit similar and we were able to shoot the scenes there."

As for the immediate future, he said he doesn't have everything lined out to merit or being able to apply for another grant, so he plans to finish this movie up and will plan to work on another grant for the following year.

"The big thing that was so great here is that everyone was so helpful, I don't think I have ever been in a place where everyone is so friendly! It was really a dream come true."

"In terms of just how friendly the people are and being curious about what we were doing, there was no 'not in my backyard' attitude that I ran into."

Anne Boothe, president of the GPDM board welcomed guests and glasses of wine, beer or cranberry juice clicked in the echoes of the historical building as she toasted the successful event. A clip of the movie was shown for those gathered. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, it was shown on Cunningham's laptop vs the big screen at the GPDM as planned, which made for difficult viewing considering the layout of the building.

"We'll be back in the spring for a screening at the Villa Theatre and we hope to see the town there. I think you'll be really proud how your town has represented itself in the film."

Cunningham is a former Major in the US Air Force, as well as an independent filmmaker, writer, and film history professor. After 24 years in service to our country, he has made three short films, one of which (HIGHWAY) won several awards at film festivals. There are three films in the making in his workroom, all which are feature-length starring the world-renown actress, Lindsey Hawkes.

His best-known book of scholarship, The San Francisco of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, was published in 2011.

In addition to giving the local community a quick glimpse of the movie, Cunningham also came to encourage support for the film through sponsorship. He provided a QR code for the ease in contributing. He can be reached at his email: [email protected].

It is a warm thought that the astounding and awe-inspiring things that locals find in the community are the same wondrous things that Cunningham and his crew were able to experience and feel.