The Oneida Nation of New York will be financing its first feature film, to be titled "First Allies."

Shooting on the $10 million production will begin this fall in New York. The story is based on the Oneida Nation's alliance with American colonists in the Revolutionary War.

"In the past, we used American Indian runners to spread important messages," Oneida Nation Representative Halbritter told Variety. "But in today's world, film is the most powerful messaging medium of our mainstream culture. 'First Allies' provides the perfect opportunity to relay the story of the Oneida Indian Nation to audiences worldwide while also telling one of the lesser-known and most riveting stories about the founding of the United States of America."

The tribe is hosting a press conference this afternoon to discuss the project.

Get the Story:
Film finds 'First Allies' (Variety 7/18)
Hollywood film to tell story of Oneidas in Revolutionary War (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 7/19)
Oneida Indian Nation plans $10 million film (The Oneida Dispatch 7/19)

Related Stories:
NYT Blog: Oneida Nation aims to put stories on the silver screen (7/18)