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All Roads Film Project The National Geographic All Roads Film Project works with indigenous filmmakers from around the globe. These up-and-coming filmmakers are making films that are regularly accepted and shown in great festivals, including Sundance in Utah, Berlinale in Germany and even Cannes in France. Our filmmakers have also screened at indigenous film festivals around the world, including our own All Roads Film Festival in Washington, D.C. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, join us July 12-18 for the American Indian Summer Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and learn how to make new media from some of these accomplished indigenous filmmakers. To inquire about how to attend, email allroads@ngs.org with "American Indian Summer Institute" in the subject line. We hope to see you in Los Angeles! Francene Bly,
Press Release
: Washington D.C. —The National Geographic All Roads Film Project; Native Media and Technology Network (NMTN); Indigenous Language Institute (ILI); Fox Entertainment Group Naninaaq Productions; and Community Prophets, Australia, have partnered to create the 8th annual American Indian Summer Institute (AISI). AISI is a series of professional workshops and training opportunities for Native students. The first partnership training takes place July 12-18, 2009 at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles.) Participants will be accepted via nomination from member organizations. AISI was founded in 2002 with the guidance of the Southern California Indian Center. To draw participants from across the U.S., NMTN joined Fox in a national outreach effort. “Our affiliation with All Roads and National Geographic Society has provided the training program to go global,” said Gerald Alcantar, vice president of diversity development at Fox. “This focus on a global indigenous collaboration to increase Native American and indigenous peoples’ access and participation in the media and entertainment industry can only expand media-related employment and business opportunities for under-represented communities,” said Syd Beane, Flandreau Santee Sioux tribal member and national coordinator of NMTN. According to UNESCO’s “Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger,” more than 2,500 languages are in danger of dying. The United States ranks second only to India with the highest number of diminishing languages. AISI helps address this problem by giving American Indian students an opportunity to explore and experience media that shares their native languages. AISI also trains the students in mixed media with new global indigenous insights. It then offers them a platform of opportunities to share their work across the world. “Like ILI, National Geographic is concerned with the urgency to record diminishing languages and the need to assist communities worldwide in the documentation process of these languages, in order to have them accessible to younger generations to revitalize, said Francene Blythe. Blythe has Diné, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and Eastern Band Cherokee heritage and is the director of National Geographic All Roads Film Project. "Currently in its sixth year, the All Roads Film Project has the global platforms and resources to bring cultural exchanges of creative storytelling in film and media to the American Indian Summer Institute. This partnership will bring together five dynamic organizations that can pool their resources to broaden the reach of indigenous voices from Native America and bring them out to the world.” “Indigenous Language Institute is excited about the positive impact that our partnership can achieve for Native peoples in revitalizing culture and language,” said Inée Slaughter, executive director of ILI. “By providing indigenous people training in ILI’s technology tools to document their languages, history, stories and songs and to create vibrant language materials, we can ensure that the endangered languages will have a deservedly distinguished presence and permanence in the global community.” AISI features some of the world's most talented indigenous media luminaries. They will examine creative storytelling through media, indigenous perspectives on story, community and self-identity, and provide mentoring on technical aspects of mixed media. Additional workshops are planned for 2010. A showcase of All Roads international films will wrap up the week’s training on Saturday, July 18, at UCLA's James Bridges Theatre. For a full screening schedule and to purchase tickets, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/allroads.
About the All Roads Film
Project
About the Native
Media and Technology Network
About Naninaaq Productions
Background: Robert Kaufman Fabrics: http://www.robertkaufman.com/ |
represented
minority-culture storytellers around the world. The program
showcases their works in film and photograph and promotes knowledge,
dialogue, and understanding to a broad global audience. In addition
to providing a venue for their films, All Roads offers filmmakers
and photographers networking opportunities. It also awards 10
or more seed grants a year to support development and production of
film and video projects by or about indigenous and minority-culture
communities. Seed grant recipients are considered for inclusion in
other National Geographic-affiliated broadcast outlets. The All
Roads Photography Program provides photographers with award money,
cameras and photography equipment to assist with their fieldwork.
Southern
California Indian Centers Intertribal Entertainment Program based in
Fountain Valley, Calif., 
American
Indian Summer Institute (AISI) - 
Naninaaq
Productions is an indigenous media production and training company.
It creates documentaries and drama and fosters young creative
minds through training and mentorship opportunities. The programs
for Alaska's Indigenous and at-risk youth and Australia focus on
traditional storytelling promoted by new voices in today's media.
Naninaaq Productions is currently establishing the first media hub
and interactive Indigenous Network on the North Slope of Alaska.
