The Rules of The Game




					You can also watch a special 8-minute version online at the Media That Matters Film Festival www.mediathatmattersfest.org/6

	Reviews
	"This documentary focuses on a small California community where the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria want to build a casino on the outskirts of town. In scenes from heated council meetings and in candid interviews, residents and tribal members debate the merits and drawbacks of this plan. Native Americans see the casino as a means to correct historical wrongs and to finance much-needed school, housing, and social-service improvements, while nonnative residents complain of increased traffic, crime, and falling property values. Tribal leaders are willing to share the revenue, but most residents are horrified and angry over the plans and want to halt construction. With more than 400 casinos operating on reservation lands in the U.S., this issue is of more than regional concern. The evenhanded program, which presents both sides of the controversy, is a surefire discussion prompter." -- Candace Smith, Booklist
	"Rules of the Game takes on a complex issue with the subtlety that it demands. Few documentaries show both sides of the Native American casino debate so even-handedly. The film raises important questions about economic justice, community development and racial tolerance, making it an ideal teaching tool for American History, Social Studies and Debate teachers." -- Shira Golding, MediaRights
	"By focusing on a small community's response to a casino development, this documentary succinctly and effectively presents both sides of the intense and bitter debates over the building of casinos by Native Americans....This documentary is important for showing that while no one wants a casino built next to their house, for some Native Americans the building of casinos means that for the first time they can participate in mainstream American society." -- Dr. Eve Darian-Smith, Professor, UC Santa Barbara



		Rohnert Park casino flap depicted in festival film When Rohnert Park citizens came out to speak up about a possible casino being planned in their backyard, it's unlikely that anyone considered their appearance might one day be shown at a local film festival. Read More...
		KPBS Looks at What's Hot -- Casinos Where once there were farms and fields, there are now houses and strip malls. Among the Home Depots and Starbucks of Rohnert Park, north of San Francisco, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria purchased undeveloped land and formed a sovereign nation. Read More...
		American Dreams One of the Indians interviewed by Lam and Burke in this even-handed film speaks gleefully about how casino money will allow him to buy some nice trucks, or "a big trailer with a lot of Harleys on it." Others speak of past oppression: "We are not your noble savages," says one angry woman. All seem anxious to "participate in the American dream of capitalism," as a third puts it. The casino's foes, meanwhile, swerve from emotional opposition to gambling and traffic to contorted racial arguments that make them look foolish. Read More...
		Special film festival of environmental documentaries Pacifica Community Television presents an evening of cinematic pleasure Friday in what may be Pacifica's first film festival ever, certainly the first one coordinated by the community television station. Read More...
		Documentary on Casino Near Rohnert Park Garance Burke and Monica Lam spent the tumultuous months of late summer and into autumn 2003 with their team in RP pulling their film together.... They filmed the protests on street corners, the marches on nearby roads and interviewed the key players on both sides of the controversy. Read More...
		Documentaries Focus on Indigenous People The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have the right to the land of their ancestors, but when they claimed a stretch of fields in this small Californian town, they didn't get them without a fight. Read More...