When Native American John Wayne Cly was 2 years old, his mother died and white missionaries took him away from his Navajo family in Monument Valley, Utah, and moved him to Arizona. That was 40 years ago. In the 1950s, a silent-film documentary about the family’s plight was made. In 1997, Chicagoan Bill Kennedy, the son of the producer of the documentary, and filmmaker Jeff Spitz set out to find the Cly family.
The result is their film “Navajo Boy: The Monument Valley Story,” which depicts the reunion of John Wayne Cly with his brother and sister. Members of the Cly family have appeared in Hollywood westerns, including one by John Ford starring John Wayne. In Spitz’s documentary, which was presented at Sundance in 2000, they get to tell their own story, including the health problems caused by exposure to uranium mines.
Spitz, who won an Emmy for “The Roosevelt Story,” which he wrote and produced, will be present for a screening of the film, which is presented by Reeltime. “The Return of Navajo Boy” screens for free at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 1967 S. Campus Drive, Northwestern University, Evanston; 847-491-4000.