Heather Rae is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 film producer

Film producer

A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

, director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, and actress of partly Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 descent. She produced Frozen River

Frozen River

Frozen River is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt. The screenplay focuses on two working-class women who smuggle illegal immigrants in the trunk of a car from Canada to the United States in order to make ends meet...

(2008), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

 as well as two Academy Awards

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

 nominations and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics.

Early life and education

Rae was born in Venice, California. She graduated from Evergreen State College.

Career

One of her first films was a short documentary in 1990 called Birth Our Own. Other directing filmography includes Trudell

Trudell

Trudell is a 2005 documentary film about the life of author and American Indian activist John Trudell. The film traces Trudell from his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, to his role in the American Indian Movement, and finally to his rebirth as a musician and spoken word poet. Heather Rae produced...

(2005).

Rae has also worked as an actress, in the movies Silent Tears (1998), Backroads (2000), Christmas in the Clouds (2001), Most Funniest (2005), Norman Waiting (2006), and Disappearance (2006).

Rae is married to screenwriter/director Russell Friedenberg and has three children.

As of the spring of 2008, Rae was an adjunct professor of communications at Boise State University

Boise State University

Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...

, teaching "Producing the Independent Film".

External links

• Heather Rae at Native Networks website