A Day Trip to Porcupine

A Day Trip to Porcupine follows the staff of North Dakota Native Vote, led by Executive Director Nicole Montclair Donaghy, as they work to ensure voting access in the remote community of Porcupine on the western edge of Standing Rock Nation. In a time when voting rights are increasingly challenged, the film highlights the unique barriers faced by Porcupine residents, including long distances to polling stations and the important work of overcoming these obstacles. Through a day of presentations and canvassing, the team educates the community, empowering individuals to participate in the democratic process and underscoring the importance of the Native American vote.

  • Jon Maichel Thomas
    Director
    Photos & Drawings, The Great White Storm
  • Nisha Balaram
    Producer
  • Jon Maichel Thomas
    Writer
  • Frances Taylor
    Writer
  • Frances Taylor
    Editor
  • Nicole Montclair Donaghy
    Key Cast
    "Executive Director, ND Native Vote "
  • Jessica Beheler
    Key Cast
    "Communications Director, ND Native Vote "
  • Kendyl Harrison
    Key Cast
    "Office Administrator, ND Native Vote "
  • Erika Red Tomahawk
    Key Cast
    "Tribal & State Policy Coordinator, ND Native Vote"
  • Kathleen Vetter
    Key Cast
    "Community Member, ND Native Vote "
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Sony
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jon Maichel Thomas

Jon Maichel Thomas is a film director and start-up founder based in Minneapolis, MN. He wrote and directed the award-winning short films Photos & Drawings and The Great White Storm.

As a title designer, Thomas received an Art Director’s Club Silver Award for designing the opening title sequence of Joel & Ethan Coen’s “Intolerable Cruelty” and was a title designer for HBO’s “Angels in America” which received an Emmy nomination for title design. Thomas also designed the tiles for the recent indies on "All These Small Moments" and "Tuscaloosa".

Thomas produced the independent feature “Ghost from the Machine” which sold internationally (Bleiberg Entertainment), domestically (Screen Media), then licensed to XYZ Pictures to be remade under the new name “Our House”. Thomas produced the award-winning feature “The SandBox”, a story about a boy who searches for his PTSD-stricken Iraq war veteran father.

Thomas was born in Bismarck, ND, his great-grandparents immigrated from Odessa, Russia, and settled in and around Fort Yates, ND.

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