In its work to support Native American storytelling, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation partnered to award the first Sundance Institute | Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellow, Shane McSauby (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians).
Shane McSauby and Willi White (Oglala Lakota) are the two emerging Native American storytellers selected to participate in the Sundance Institute’s 2016 Native Filmmakers Lab, which took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, June 12-17, 2016. The emerging filmmakers attended and Lab and received guidance from esteemed Creative Advisors Jen Gerber (The Revival); Reinaldo Marcus Green (Stop, Stone Cars); Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Sikumi, On the Ice); Cara Marcous (On the Ice) and Blake Pickens (The Land).
After the Lab McSauby and White received grants to fund the production of their short films, targeted support from a supervising producer, and will participate in the annual Native Forum at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
The Native Filmmakers Lab, now in its second year of providing dedicated support for short film projects, allows Fellows to identify and break down challenging scenes from their scripts, rehearse with actors, shoot test scenes, edit footage and present for constructive critiques. Throughout the Lab, Fellows engaged in one-on-one meetings with advisors as well as viewed advisors’ films to spark discussions about the journeys of their stories from script to audience screenings.
McSauby is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan in December 2015 and currently resides in New York City. His project, Mino Bimaadiziwin, tells the story of a young Ojibwe man who must choose between the comfort of city living or Mino Bimaadizwin, the path to the good life, after reconnecting with his culture through a young Ojibwe woman.
Stay tuned for updates on his progress on Mino Bimaadiziwin!
Links:
- October 2017: View the trailer on Vimeo!
- In May 2017, Shane McSauby launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to support and pay the crew of Mino Bimaadiziwin.
- On November 7, Shane was celebrated by Grand Valley State University’s Kutsche Office and the Gi-gikinomaage-min Project – check out the photos here.
- A July 2016 interview with Shane by the Grand Rapids Business Journal can be found here.
- Read the June 2016 press release from the Sundance Institute here.