Film Set in South Dakota Gets Screening at Cannes Film Festival

A new film that follows the lives of two young Lakota men living on the South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation not only got its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival this month, but it also won an award.

War Pony tells the stories of 23-year-old Bill and 12-year-old Matho navigating the sometimes challenging reservation life. The one-hour and 55-minute film is a project of Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough, who co-directed the film with her best friend Gina Gammell.

Keough was inspired to make War Pony after meeting extras Franklin Sioux Bob and Bill Reddy in 2015 while filming American Honey in South Dakota. Keough, Gammell, Sioux Bob, and Reddy co-wrote the screenplay based upon Bob and Reddy's life experiences and stories they had heard growing up.

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Since its premiere, the film has received very positive reviews, scoring a 93 rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

And while War Pony didn't capture any of the official awards associated with Cannes, it didn't come home empty-handed.

According to the Holywood Reporter, Brit, the fluffy silver poodle featured in the film, captured the Palm Dog Award, which is handed out to the best canine performance across the official selections at Cannes.

The winner gets an embossed Palm Dog collar.

Keough and Gammell accepted the award via a video link, describing Brit as 'just a legend.'