Kate Bosworth and her husband are accused of “commandeering” sensitive film footage concerning a Native American tribe from a producer who claims he is the rightful owner, and the two stars are allegedly refusing to give it back.
According to documents obtained by The Blast, Bosworth and Michael Polish were sued over a movie they were working on, called “Little Brother of War,” about the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and their history of playing competitive stickball, which is similar to lacrosse. Polish was the director, and Bosworth appears to have been slated for a producing role.
Producers for the film claim they worked tirelessly to navigate a “strenuous vetting and application process to gain seldom approved unrestricted access to film the MBCI’s stickball competitions on Reservation lands,” and promised the tribe would “honor the rich cultural history and traditions surrounding the competitions.”
Because of their relationship, the crew was even able to shoot rare interviews with actual tribe members back in March of 2018.
Producers claim Polish was only on set six days, but allegedly struck a deal with two on-set cameramen to “commandeer” the raw footage with a plan to “release an infringing, unauthorized film of his own.”
They are also worried that Polish’s film will “exploit the MBCI members and culture without their permission, all for their personal aggrandizement and gain.”
Producers want a court order stating that they are the rightful owners of the footage, for Polish to hand it all back over and up to $1 million in damages.
Shutterstock
