'Gangland' director Vincent Grashaw brings Native American story to Jerusalem Film Festival

Director Vincent Grashaw will present his film 'Gangland' at the Jerusalem Film Festival. The crime drama, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as a tribal police chief, is set on the fictional Thunderstone Reservation in the American Southwest and explores a Native American community grappling with poverty, drug trafficking, and gang violence. Grashaw, who found the script by Canadian police officer Zach Montague, was drawn to its authenticity and his own interest in gang culture. The film was shot in Oklahoma with significant Native American involvement, both in front of and behind the camera. Grashaw hopes the film will open doors for its Native American cast members to pursue diverse roles beyond identity-specific narratives. "It felt wholly authentic and lived-in," Grashaw said, adding, "It is his best performance, in my opinion," referring to Phillips's role.