Confluence Announces Filmmaker Fellows Program

Woodrow Hunt and LaRon Katchia filming an interview with Dr. Virginia Beavert, a Yakama linguist.

Confluence is pleased to announce the Confluence Filmmaker Fellows program in partnership with Oregon Film and the Creative Opportunity Program. Three Indigenous video artists with a cultural connection to Oregon will receive cash prizes to support a film project they are developing: one for $5,000 and two for $2,500. Four other Emerging Indigenous Filmmakers will receive full camera kits so that they can take their craft to the next level.

Eligible projects would align broadly to Confluence’s mission to connect people to the history, living cultures, and ecology of our region through Indigenous voices. Some ideas for possible themes include Growth, Healing, and Community. The goal is to support Indigenous filmmakers achieve their visions.

The Prizes:
Three Confluence Filmmaker Fellows. One will receive a $5,000 prize and two will receive $2,500.

Four Emerging Filmmakers: Four individuals will receive this fellowship. They will each receive a full camera kit estimated $800 in value.

Winning projects will be featured in the Confluence Digital Library of interviews and documentary shorts and can be used in classrooms and public events. They will also be showcased in a Confluence Story Gathering, which are public events designed to elevate Indigenous voices in our collective understanding of the Columbia River system. Submissions will be judged on their alignment with the Confluence mission and quality of the production.

An advisory committee will choose among the submissions. This committee includes filmmakers Woodrow Hunt (Klamath/Modoc,Cherokee), LaRonn Katchia (Warm Springs), and artist Mersaedy Atkins (Collville/Yakama), and writer Daniel Wilson (Cherokee), and others.

Submissions:

Submissions will be accepted until May 15th, 2023 and decisions will be made in June 2023. Please submit a two page proposal that includes a budget and timeline, along with a link to a sample reel that is no longer than five minutes. Please email to Confluence Digital Content Manager Lily Hart with the subject line “Filmmaker Fellows”.

After winners are chosen, the review committee will stay in touch with the filmmakers as they develop their project. In order to foster community and mentorship, the core work group will check in and be available for questions. They will also hold a couple Zoom meetings with all Fellows and encourage the Fellows to be in touch with each other.

A screening for all projects will be held in June 2024. Location to be determined.

The project has been supported by the Creative Opportunity Program and Oregon Film.

 

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