Kissed by Lightning is a contemporary love story that deviates from the common portrayal of aboriginal people in film, say its lead and producer, and that’s precisely what lured them to the directorial debut of Mohawk filmmaker/artist Shelley Niro.

The feature, currently shooting in Hamilton, ON, stars Kateri Walker (Missionary Man, Blueberry) as a reclusive artist trying to come to grips with the death of her husband when an old friend reappears in her life. Lightning also stars Eric Schweig (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) and Michael Greyeyes (Passchendaele).

Walker — who briefly gave up acting after a stint in California in the 1990s, partly out of frustration with ‘what Hollywood was putting out as native’ — says reading the script for Lightning was ‘like coming home.’

‘I didn’t want to be in feathers and leathers and be a background actress… that is not moving us forward,’ says the Detroit-born thesp, who is a member of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi nations.

Producer Annie Frazier Henry (Singing Our Stories, Chiefs and Champions), who came on board during the early stages of development in 2005, says she was drawn by the ‘uplifting freshness’ of the story that did not focus exclusively on the struggles of aboriginal people.

‘It embraced the idea of trying to incorporate the traditions into our contemporary lifestyles… the struggles are part of the subtext rather than being a focal point of the story,’ she explains.

Henry, who is of Blackfoot and Sioux descent, says it’s difficult to make an entire aboriginal film without addressing past adversities.

‘It’s not that the struggles are necessarily over, but we’re in a moment of reconciliation within our own lives and moving on,’ she offers. The film is scheduled to wrap Feb. 15.

The crew includes a strong component of trainees, also of aboriginal descent.

‘We’ve got aboriginal people in almost every department of the crew, from grip to gaffer. They’re people who have been trying to break into film for a long time and are just thrilled to be part of it,’ says Henry. Kim Derko (I, Claudia, Show Me Yours) is DOP.

Henry is hoping for a festival appearance at Sundance, where her films Singing Our Stories (1999) and Legends: The Story of Siwash Rock (2000) screened. The producer has some visibility at the Park City, Utah festival, having been the first aboriginal woman to serve on a Sundance jury. She has also served as an advisor for its screenwriting program.

Lightning is scheduled for release in 2010. The Movie Network has secured broadcast rights, while APTN has the second window.