Category: Grants and programs

New Arctic Indigenous Screenwriting Workshop Kicks Off

Posted on by veera

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 workshop is the first of many projects following the Sami Film Initiative / Samisk filmløft.

The Mentors

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.

Nine Arctic Indigenous Filmmakers Selected for Witness 2024 Film Training and Mentorship Program

Posted on by Essi Pulju

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:

  1. Ashley Qilavaq-Savard and Jennifer Kilabuk (Inuit, Canada) – Project: Intergenerational Climate Activism
  2. Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neets’aii Gwich’in, United States) – Project: This is a Story About Salmon
  3. Marc Fussing Rosbach (Inuk, Greenland) – Project: Our Ancestors’ Secrets
  4. Johannes Vang (Sámi, Norway) – Project: Red-Shaded Green
  5. Elin Marakatt (Sámi, Sweden) and Sara Beate Eira (Sámi, Norway) – Project: Untitled [Cloudberry]
  6. 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.

Collaborators of the Witness program:

Contact for more information:

Witness Program Coordinator,
Amee Le,
amee.lekc[at]gmail.com

Arctic Witness Training program