NewsOK: Oklahoma movie "Daughter of Dawn" selected for Library of Congress' 2013 National Film Registry

NewsOK - Brandy McDonnell

The Oklahoma Historical Society has announced that “The Daughter of Dawn” has been selected for the Library of Congress’ 2013 National Film Registry, a collection of cinematic treasures that represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.

The 80-minute, six-reel silent movie was shot during the summer of 1920 in Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge outside of Lawton. The story and legacy of “The Daughter of Dawn” will be permanently housed at the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture (OKPOP), a new museum being developed by the state Historical Society that will be located in downtown Tulsa.

“This film is an American treasure both as an early art form in the history of cinema and as a window into the material culture of Oklahoma’s Kiowa and Comanche tribes,” said Dr. Bob Blackburn, the historical society’s executive director, said in a news release. “We are proud to have the film represent our great state, its people and the beautiful landscape of southwestern Oklahoma.”

Considered a rarity in film, “The Daughter of Dawn” stars an all-American Indian cast of nearly 300 Kiowas and Comanches. Both tribes, who had been on the reservation less than 50 years, brought with them their own tipis, horses, clothing and material culture. The film is significant because it depicts life on the Southern plains, showing a buffalo hunt, fight scenes and ceremonial dances that were considered illegal by the U.S. government, but were allowed because they were part of the movie.

The Oklahoma Historical Society and OKPOP have partnered with Milestone Films out of New Jersey for distribution of “The Daughter of Dawn” starting in 2014. Plans include a high-definition release through special screenings at national and international film festivals, movie theaters and on DVD, according to the news release.

“While there are many movies directed, produced and edited by, or starring Oklahomans, ‘The Daughter of Dawn’ is the first narrative feature filmed in Oklahoma to be included in the National Film Registry,” said Jeff Moore, OKPOP project director, in the release. “The Library of Congress deemed this film important enough to be included in the national registry and the OKPOP Museum will share this incredible story for future generations.”

For each title named to the registry, the Library of Congress ensures that the film is preserved for future generations, either through the library’s motion picture preservation program or through collaborative ventures with other archives, motion picture studios and independent filmmakers.

For more information on the film and the story of its restoration, go to www.okhistory.org.

Online:NewsOK