OPPORTUNITIES:   JOBS  |  FILM FESTIVAL DEADLINES
Producer Newsletter Vol. 9 Issue 12
A list of opportunities for filmmakers to help increase the diversity of the media landscape.
Submission Deadline March 1
2016 Public Media Content Fund





Time to Submit Proposals:
2016 Public Media Content Fund
With a March 1 deadline, Vision Maker Media invites proposals for programs intended for Public Television that represent the experiences, values and cultures of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Support for the Vision Maker Media Public Television Program Fund is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For more information, please download and read the complete guidelines.



Across the Creek White House Screening
Leaves Producer Thunderstruck
By Jonny Cournoyer

I spent this Thanksgiving in a cold cabin in the Redwoods of Northern California. Sitting around the fire I tried digesting, along with the stuffing, how our little film Across the Creek would soon be screening in Washington at the White House. It still didn't sink in, even when two days later my brother David (also a producer) and I were standing outside the gates on Pennsylvania Avenue on the eve of the event. We were both excited and dumbfounded. 

The following night, Nov. 30, we and friend Irene Bedard, who flew "Across the Country" to join and support us, walked through those gates. We were met by a member of the staff holding a poster of our film and greeting us with a "Welcome to The White House." Still hadn't sunk in. 

The event was hosted by PBS as a kickoff for their new "Public Square" series, and at the reception we met many of those who were behind its creation. Walking to the screening at the Auditorium of The Eisenhower Building we did a little strolling and found the Indian Treaty Room. 

Watching the film was personally heavy for me, since five of the Elder subjects we interviewed for the film have since passed away; they never saw the finished film. Particularly emotional was seeing Albert White Hat first appear on the screen and hearing his voice resonate in that venue. 

The film was well received. More important, however, was the context used for a great panel discussion afterward. I was part of the panel, along with William Mendoza, Executive Director, White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education; Josie Ralphaelito, Center for Native American Youth; and Karen Diver, Special Assistant to the President for Native American Affairs. Karen brought the crowd to applause after her moving statements on holistic Native Culture and its importance for the future of the country as a whole. 

One of the final shots in the film is an old and tattered American Flag flying in sideways-blowing snow off Highway 18 in Rosebud, South Dakota. When I pointed my camera out the car window and captured that scene I never would have imagined I'd later be projecting that little flag on The White House screen. It was a real lesson and example of how creating and putting something out there, no matter how large or small the project, can often reach people and lead to places far beyond the limitations we impose. We always thought our little film had a lot of soul and was taking us along for the ride, and a year after being debuted we are happy and honored to see it still is. 

Native American Plateau beadwork.
Photo by Mimbres Fever Productions
German Film Festival Accepts Spirit in Glass
Spirit in Glass has been accepted in the Indianer Inuit:  Das Nordamerika Film Festival (6) being held in Struttgart, Germany Jan. 21- 24, 2016. The documentary celebrates the spectacular beadwork of the Northwest Plateau People. Spirit in Glass provides a rare opportunity to experience Plateau culture through the eyes and hearts of artists, who share their history, motivation and the beadwork that plays an important role in binding their culture together. Native Plateau beadwork is part of the rich tapestry of American culture. Plateau culture is unique and its story of survival a quintessentially American story. MORE



Digital Storytelling Helps Advance Tribal Causes
In 2015, Vision Maker Media delivered 15 hours of programming that 90 percent of public television stations broadcast in more than 34,000 telecasts. 

We believe in the power of education and have developed materials for the classroom that offer Tribes the tools they need to preserve their media archives. These programs tell both contemporary and historic stories that focus on health, language, suicide and cultural misappropriation. We are poised to enter into new ways to help Tribal people advance their causes through the power of digital storytelling. MORE
MCN Adopts Free Press Legislation for Mvskoke Media
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation (MCN) added free press protections for the tribe's media division, Mvskoke Media, with the passage of a free press act. The MCN National Council cited access to information and a need for an independent media with stronger objective reporting by the tribe's media department as findings of support for the amendment.

The department includes a semi-monthly newspaper, weekly radio and television broadcasts and graphic design and printing services. Mvskoke Media was previously organized under the tribe's executive branch. Sterling Cosper, editor of the tribe's official newspaper, the Muscogee Nation News, said the passage of the act is a positive first step toward an independent press.  
Justice Dept. Seeks Applications for Funding
To Improve Tribal Public Safety, Victim Services 
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the opening of the grant solicitation period for comprehensive funding to American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and tribal consortia to support public safety, victim services and crime prevention improvements.

"Since 2010, the CTAS program has helped tribes develop their own comprehensive approaches to making their communities safer and healthier," said Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart F. Delery. "CTAS grants have funded more than 1,400 programs to better serve crime victims, promote community policing and strengthen justice systems.

CTAS is administered by the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP). The funding can be used to enhance law enforcement, bolster adult and juvenile justice systems, prevent and control juvenile delinquency, serve native victims of crime including, child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and elder abuse victims; and support other efforts to combat crime. MORE
Job Opportunities and Fellowships
Please see our website for a complete listing of job opportunities and fellowships.
Film Festival Opportunities
Please see our website for a complete listing of film festival opportunities.

Telluride Mountain Film Festival 2016
2nd Deadline Jan. 11
United States		Maryland International Film Festival
Late Deadline Jan. 8
United States
Myrtle Beach International Film Festival
Deadline Jan. 2
United States		Sonoma International Film Festival
Deadline Feb. 2
United States
Cardiff Independent Film Festival
Late Deadline Jan. 9
United Kingdon		Wairoa Maori Film Festival
Deadline Feb. 6
New Zealand
Deadline Jan. 10
Canada
Deadline Feb. 1
United States
Regular Submission Feb. 5
United States

             
Training and Other Opportunities
Please see our website for a complete listing of training and other opportunities.
Jerome Foundation Travel & Study Grant Program
United States

NAJA Excellence in Journalism 2016
United States
From the Heart Productions' Trailblazer and Mastermind Intentional Filmmaking Classes
United States

4th Annual Tribal Lands Conference
AIPRA: Fractionation, Economics, and Land Use
United States
 
Funding Opportunities
Please see our website for a complete listing of funding opportunities.
United States

United States


The Filmmaker Fund
United States

Artist as Activist
United States

United States
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