The Official Peter Coyote Web Site

Coymoon Creations


FALL 2001
NEWSLETTER

Update - 10/24/01:

For those who have written inquiring about whether Peter is the voice in the GM commercials, yes, you are correct. From today's San Francisco Chronicle: "The television ad that brings General Motors' interest-free financing to the masses opens with a video of a desert highway that rings of freedom itself, accompanied by the voice of Coyote, who delivers a bold message that springs from an American tragedy - 'The American dream. We refuse to let anyone take it away. So, GM announces interest-free financing. On every new car. And every new truck. Now through Oct. 31. Believe in the dream. Believe in each other. Keep America rolling.'"

S.F. Chronicle, 10/23: At the Presidio last week, actors and behind-the-camera workers gathered to air the problem of runaway film production. One of the solutions offered: Beat Canada and Australia at their own game. "There should be tax incentives for investors in American films that are kept in America," said actor Peter Coyote. "Except perhaps for one stumbling block, it is the most politically popular solution," he said. "The stumbling block is 'the Tom Cruise problem' - it is very hard to get support for tax incentives when the public sees it as giving benefits to rich actors. But," Coyote said, "this is not a actors' issue but a broad economic issue that affects many others."

Peter gave a presentation the other day at Santa Rose Junior College. His speech was based in part on an article by Robert Bowman, known as a Combat Veteran, Rocket Scientist, Businessman, College Professor, Fighter Pilot, Bishop, and Peace Activist.   Bowman states that "We are the target of terrorists because we stand for dictatorship, bondage, and human exploitation in the world."

Update - 10/15/01:

The video and DVD of THE BASKET starring Peter and Karen Allen, will be released on December 11. You can pre-order now at Amazon.com. The video is priced at $49.95. The DVD is definitely the better buy at $20.24, as it also features a commentary by the director and cinematographer, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a collection of 6 mini-featurettes on the making of the film.

Update - 10/01/01:

William Baldwin invites you to Made in America: The Plight of U.S. Film and Television Production on Thursday, October 18, 2001 at the San Francisco Film Centre (The Presidio, 39 Mesa Street, San Francisco CA). There will be a 6:00 reception, 7:00 program and 8:30 VIP dinner (Sponsors Only). The Moderator will be Ron Reagan with Panelists Peter Coyote, Elliott Gould and Tom Todoroff. Ticket prices for the Reception and Program: The Creative Coalition Members: $25 each; Non-Members & Guests: $50 each. The Sponsor package including VIP Dinner: $500/person.Yahoo is also featuring an auction for an all-inclusive ticket with an opening bid of $350.

Look for these Coyote films on television this month - Baja Oklahoma, Endangered Species, Eric Brockovich, Execution of Justice, Heart of Midnight, Indiscreet, The Legend of Billie Jean, Living a Lie, Murder in my Mind, Random Hearts, Red Letters, Road Ends, Scorned and Swindled, and Southern Comfort.

For the Coyote howl on the world's latest events, you can read his essay, "Pausing for Thought" as well as his poem, "Flags."

Update - 09/01/01:

Peter will be doing a French film next Spring called BON VOYAGE starring France's most popular actor, Gerard Depardieu, and Sophie Marceau. This big-budget WWII story will center around the collaborationist Vichy Government with Peter playing an English spy called Winckler. It will be directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, celebrated for directing Depardieu in the glorious, swashbuckling Cyrano de Bergerac (1990).

France has not only been a holiday spot for Peter through the years (he speaks fluent French), but it has also provided the locale of A Man in Love (1987), Bitter Moon (1994), and the upcoming FEMME FATALE. Filming for this Brian de Palma film noir took place last spring in Paris and editing is just about completed. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos plays Laure, a con woman who is trying to outrun her past by stealing another woman's identity. Antonio Banderas will play a paparazzi named Nicolas, who hunts her down. Peter plays Laure's husband, Bruce Hewitt Watts, the American ambassador to France - such a prestigious role for our man. The film has been described as a highly-stylized homage to the great British director, Alfred Hitchcock. The filmmakers hope to have the film ready for the Berlin Film Festival in February. There is no official release date yet, though the IMDB has listed it as January.

A WALK TO REMEMBER was filmed in North Carolina during April and May. A Gaylord Film distributed by Warner Bros., its cast also includes Darryl Hannah, Mandy Moore and Shane West. Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, it is directed by Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner). In a small Southern community during the 1950's, the teenage son (Shane West) of a wealthy family and the shy daughter (Moore) of the town's Baptist minister (Coyote) are thrown together for the annual Christmas pageant and soon fall in love. Theater release date is January 25.

The only news I've come across regarding the theatrical release of PURPOSE was that co-writer/producer Ronnie Apteker was looking for a distributor for his film. However, the following review was recently posted under "user comments" at the IMDB - "Purpose, as a whole, does a good job of showing how money, power, and life in the fast lane during the dot.com boom in San Francisco can corrupt even those with good intentions. Jeffery Donovan (Robert) is great as the smooth talking deal closer that visionary John Elias (newcomer John Light) hires to help start the company. Paul Reiser, hardly recognizable as the mentor and friend to John, is funny and adds a lot to the film. Mia Farrow looks stunning, yet believable as the financial mogul out to make some money off the new company. Hal Holbrook and Peter Coyote add to the film, if nothing else than recognizable faces and steady acting. The film looks amazing, with fantastic shots of San Francisco and creative interiors that dominate the new money internet offices. Could be a sleeper hit if all the people who lost their jobs in the dot.com bust want to re-live it. It has a deep meaning behind the story of quality over quantity. I'd recommend it."

Alpenglow Films has produced a series of films called Earth Rescue. The following documentaries are narrated by Peter and will be featured on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) this month:

Pipe Dreams: Oil vs. Wilderness in the Arctic Nat'l Wildlife Refuge
Thursday, September 6

In Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, polar bears, musk oxen, and roaming herds of caribou still allow us a glimpse of a primeval world. However, the oil industry and powerful allies in Alaska's state government are attempting to invade and develop the coast of the refuge. If they succeed, it may mean the demise of the most intact, pristine Arctic wilderness in the nation.

Border Wars: The Fight for the American Jaguar
Thursday, September 13

In southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico environmentalists are fighting to preserve and create wildlife corridors that will allow the jaguar continued access to its northernmost range. But conservationists fear obstacles that will inhibit or even eliminate the presence of jaguars in the U.S., including uncooperative ranchers and the INS which is constructing ten-foot high fences with high-intensity lighting along the border to keep out immigrants, and possibly, jaguars.

Death of A Thousand Wolves
Thursday, September 20

This film will examine the controversy over the fate of wolves in Minnesota, where currently wolves are protected by the federal government under the Endangered Species Act. The federal government, however, wants to turn this protection over to the State of Minnesota, which is in turmoil over how to handle the wolves.

Dead Coyote Walking
Thursday, September 27

A nationwide controversy has arisen over Predator Hunting Contests that offer participants cash or prize rewards for killing large numbers of coyotes. Hunting participants say these contests are a necessary component to wildlife management, while conservationists say the indiscriminate killing of coyotes is not only inhumane, but as a solution, it simply does not work.

 

 

dakota.jpg (9101 bytes)The video, "Seth Eastman: Painting the Dakota" is now available for $19.95 at Aftonpress.org. Directed by Kristian Berg and narrated by Peter, this documentary tells the life story of the artist and career military officer Seth Eastman, and brings insight to not only his paintings but to his native subjects. For the first time we will showcase a comprehensive look of Eastman's illustrations that span across America from Minnesota to Texas to Florida. Dakota elders will bring to life the traditions illustrated by Eastman and react to images of their ancestors' daily lives and cultural practices. Eastman descendents and art historians discuss Eastman's relationship with native peoples and what the paintings tell us about Indian life during a time before white settlement.

"In the Light of Reverence" was nationally broadcast on the PBS series, Point of View, this past summer. Narrated by Tantoo Cardinal and Coyote, this 72-minute documentary on Native American struggles to protect landscapes of spiritual significance tells the stories of three communities and places they care for. Kudos to these filmmakers for being honored with the Best Feature Documentary award at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco and for receiving a Jury Award at Telluride Mountainfilm Festival.

Documentary filmmaker Steve Alves of Greenfield, MA is making a career out of capturing things that make New England distinct. He's gone after subjects like the Connecticut River and maple sugaring. In his newest film, "Together in Time," he explores the past and present of contra dancing, a topic he believes is as much about community as it is about moving to music. The film will continue to do the festival circuit. Getting Peter to do the narration was a big victory for Alves, who notes that Peter apparently has good values. Because the film is about a project that promotes community, he agreed to take a nominal fee. 

The Anza-Borrego Foundation commissioned award-winning filmmaker Chris Pyle to create a 15-minute video capturing the essence of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Narrated by Peter with music by Thomas Newman, this stunning video highlights the early days of the creation of the park. It portrays more than three decades of the Foundation's work to save 24,000 acres of highly scenic and biologically significant lands in this area for inclusion in the California State Parks system. Persons interested in seeing the video, or obtaining copies to publicize the Foundation's on-going work, are urged to contact the ABF at (760) 767-0446.

Another short, but inspiring, 14-minute video documentary tells the dramatic story of the grassroots movement for non-commercial Low-Power FM radio service, which provides oft-times marginalized groups in our society an opportunity to be heard. Narrated by Coyote, "LPFM: The People's Voice" looks at the communities and churches embracing the low-power FM movement, even as many of the heavy hitters of the broadcast industry try to shut it down. If you would like purchase information or the ability to view the entire LPFM video online via RealVideo, follow this link.