The Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF), in partnership with Telefilm Canada and the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), is excited to announce the third edition of the Witness Short Film Series. This professional training and mentorship program is designed to support early career Arctic Indigenous filmmakers from across the Circumpolar North, including Canada, Sápmi, Russia, Alaska, and Greenland.
The program offers a unique opportunity to develop skills in documentary storytelling, cinematography, production management, and impact producing. Participants will receive hands-on training and mentorship from experienced Indigenous filmmakers, explore ethical filmmaking practices, and gain insights into international co-productions. Selected filmmakers will be awarded a training grant to produce a 3–5 minute short film exploring climate change from an Indigenous perspective.
Applications are open now!
The extended deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 2, 2025. For more details and application guidelines, read the call for proposals here.
The Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF) and Telefilm Canada are proud to announce the world premiere of the Witness film series at the Skábmagovat Film Festival in Inari, Finland, on January 24, 2025.
The series features five short films by Arctic Indigenous filmmakers, offering powerful insights into how climate change is impacting their lives and communities. The filmmakers will be in attendance, sharing their stories and engaging with audiences.
Join us at Skábmagovat to experience transformative storytelling from the Arctic!
The Witness program is a collaborative initiative by AIFF and Telefilm Canada, providing Arctic Indigenous filmmakers with professional mentorship, a platform to tell their stories, and connections to a global network of Indigenous creators.
The Arctic Indigenous Screenwriting Workshop has officially kicked off and has started with online sessions in October with Bird Runninwater and Suvi West. The workshop will continue until September 2025.
High Interest
There was great interest in the workshop, with 47 applications from the Arctic Indigenous area. From this group, 12 are selected to participate in the monthly sessions over the coming year led by professionals in the film industry.
We are thrilled by the enthusiasm we have seen. There is a huge interest in Indigenous stories, and we can see that many writers are interested in telling their stories on the screen. This course provides one-on-one mentoring, so we focused on a smaller group this time to give each writer dedicated support, says Liisa Holmberg, the Course leader.
About the program
The Arctic Indigenous Screenwriting workshop will focus on how Indigenous storytelling traditions can inspire the scriptwriting process and enhance the understanding of the basics of film narratives and character development in a film story. By the end of the workshop, the participants will have a strong story, an extended treatment, and a first draft script.
The sessions will be led by professionals in the film industry:
Leader of the Course: Liisa Holmberg: CEO, Arctic Indigenous Film Fund Kate Leys: International script and story editor, England Bird Runningwater: Producer/Director from Los Angeles Suvi West: Screenwriter/Director, Sápmi Gail Maurice: Screenwriter/Director, Canada Nils Gaup: Screenwriter/Director, Sápmi Åse Katrin Vuolab: Screenwriter/Director, Sápmi Jörgen Hjerdt: Screenwriter, Sweden
Goals
To learn how Indigenous storytelling traditions can inspire your script-writing process.
To understand the basics of film narratives and character development in your own film story
To provide methods for developing ideas into treatments and scripts
Outcome
By the end of the workshop, participants will have a strong story, an extended treatment, and a first-draft script.
For questions or more information about the workshop, please contact:
Liisa Holmberg, CEO, Arctic Indigenous Film Fund +47 930 36 145
Partners
Funders
A part of Sami Film Initiativ / Samisk filmløft:
As part of Samfunnsløftet, SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge, the International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) has been allocated 10 million NOK in funding for a major initiative in the production of new Sámi films and TV series. This initiative is a concrete measure and a response to the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This Screenwriting Workshop is the first of many projects following the Sami Film Initiative.
The Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF) and Telefilm Canada proudly announce the selection of nine Arctic Indigenous filmmakers for the second round of the Witness film training and mentorship program. Witness aims to empower Indigenous voices across Arctic communities to create impactful short films exploring the effects of climate change.
The selected filmmakers and their projects are:
Ashley Qilavaq-Savard and Jennifer Kilabuk (Inuit, Canada) – Project: Intergenerational Climate Activism
Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neets’aii Gwich’in, United States) – Project: This is a Story About Salmon
Marc Fussing Rosbach (Inuk, Greenland) – Project: Our Ancestors’ Secrets
Johannes Vang (Sámi, Norway) – Project: Red-Shaded Green
Elin Marakatt (Sámi, Sweden) and Sara Beate Eira (Sámi, Norway) – Project: Untitled [Cloudberry]
Eriel Lugt and Carmen Kuptana (Inuvialuit, Canada) – Project: Untitled
These filmmakers were chosen for their compelling proposals and dedication to shedding light on the impacts of climate change within their communities. Witness 2024 will provide them with workshops, training grants, and mentorship from esteemed Canadian Indigenous filmmakers Darlene Naponse and Jason Ryle.
The films produced during the program will premiere at the Indigenous Film Festival Skábmagovat in Inari, Finland, in January 2025.
“We are thrilled to welcome these diverse Arctic Indigenous filmmakers to Witness 2024,” said Liisa Holmberg, CEO of AIFF.
“Their unique perspectives and storytelling abilities will undoubtedly contribute to meaningful conversations and highlight Indigenous leadership surrounding climate change in Arctic communities.”
“The Witness program is a professional development opportunity that allows Arctic Indigenous filmmakers to share how climate change is affecting their communities, to tell their own stories, and to meet and work with an international network of Indigenous filmmakers,” remarked Adriana Chartrand, Lead, Indigenous Initiatives & Content Analyst at Telefilm Canada.
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