Te Ata’ to be shown July 31 at historic Traverse City festival

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Chickasaw Times

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – “Te Ata” will be featured in a special screening July 31 at historic State Theatre the Traverse City Film Festival.

Located in this city of 16,000 on the shores of Lake Michigan, the State Theatre is listed as the “No. 1 movie theatre in the world” by the Motion Picture Association of America.

The movie concerning famed Chickasaw actress and storyteller Mary Thompson Fisher, stars Q’orianka Kilcher, Academy award nominee Graham Greene, “Twilight” mega star Gil Birmingham, and television and big screen actor Mackenzie Aston.

“Te Ata” follows the early career of the young actress who entertained in the White House and toured Europe entertaining royalty. Te Ata Fisher lived to be almost 100 years old. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1957, named an Oklahoma cultural “Treasure” in 1987, and was inducted in the Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame in 1990.

Built in 1916, the State Theatre was restored to its full turn-of-the-century grandeur in 2005 as the showcase of the Traverse City Film Festival. Hundreds of volunteer hours and contributions by award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore (“Bowling for Columbine,” “Roger and Me,”) saved the structure.

General admission tickets will go on sale July 16.