Greetings!
When a friend first showed me the Native games, I was blown away by the level of athleticism and the grueling strength of these athletes. - Jonathon Stanton, producer/director Games of the North Games of the North is one of many powerful documentaries available from NAPT for your scheduling of Native American programs this Spring. While we very much hope that you will consider these titles as a package and that you will schedule all in complementary slots (such as weekly or as a stunt), they are being offered separately so you are able to choose any or all. (Spring releases include: Columbus Day Legacy, Good Meat, Apache 8.) For your convenience, here is a link to NAPT's guide showing all their programs in rights: http://www.nativetelecom.org/files/Programming_Apr2010&BeyondLR.pdf. KCTS/Seattle and NAPT are pleased to present Games of the North: Playing for Survival, a riveting 30-minute documentary with a WOW factor that showcases four modern Inuit athletes from northern territories of the Arctic circle. Participants in the biannual Arctic Winter Games, an event that draws hundreds of contestants, compete in tests of endurance, agility and strength that challenge mind, body and spirit in front of large audiences comprised of family, friends, supporters and media alike. Games of the North is a very personal journey that reveals links between the past and the present. The Arctic Winter Games connect athletes living in distinct worlds and bond urban and rural Alaska Natives in a spirit of support and camaraderie. Each athlete featured in the documentary reveals a unique relationship to the games. This unique relationship to the Games and complex interconnectedness of Inuit culture became apparent to the filmmakers as they followed four Inuits trekking across Alaska to live, compete, hunt, train and pursue their goals. Executive producer Steven Wounded Deer Alvarez (Mescalero Apache/Yaqui/Upper Tanana Athabascan) was struck by "the relevance of the games to today's northern territories and to the survival of their culture." He also states, "The harsh and unforgiving Arctic is not child's play. It takes knowledge from the past and one's personal strength to endure what mother nature gives you." As Games of the North producer Jonathon Stanton puts it: "When a friend first showed me the Native Games, I was blown away by the level of athleticism and the grueling strength of these athletes. I became immediately drawn-in as both an athlete and filmmaker. I am an avid ski mountaineer and originally comae to Alaska seeking the raw beauty of the vast mountain ranges, but in the end, the games and the people that it brought together, kept me coming back for more (emphasis mine)." Games of the North is produced by Starseed Media in Association with the Alaska Native Heritage Center Steven Wounded Deer Alvarez (Mescalero Apache/Yaqui/Upper Tanana Athabascan) is executive producer and Jonathon Stanton is producer, director and writer. It is presented by KCTS/Seattle and NAPT and distributed to public television stations by PBS/NPS. Major funding is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Rasmuson Foundation, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and Education through Cultural Historical Organization (ECHO). Local underwriting is permissible. Please contact me if you have questions. I'll be in touch with you about your carriage plans during the next months. A fact sheet follows. Very truly yours,  Regina Regina Eisenberg R Eisenberg Presents
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