The KSUT Tribal Media Center is holding the second Native Lens Media Fellowship from Sunday, Feb. 25 to Saturday, March 2. There were over 70 applicants with nine fellows being chosen to make up the cohort.
About the 2024 Native Lens Fellows
Sommer Lopez:
I am Onk Akimel O’odham representing the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. Movies, art, and storytelling are my passions, and I’m on a mission to help my community preserve our variety of narratives for generations to come.
Tyler Socé:
Hello, my name is Tyler Socé. My pronouns are He/They, and I also go by the name T’skāādn. I’m from the White Mountain Apache Tribe, residing in Whiteriver, Ariz. I’ve always had an inspiring interest in filmmaking since I was a young adolescent. I love to create stories that leave an impact in the minds of others through writing, music, and film. Having an opportunity to collaborate with other Indigenous creatives in the process of filmmaking is truly a blessing, and I can’t wait to begin working with everyone.
Sierra Buffalohead:
My name is Sierra Marie Buffalohead, and my Ponca name is Hah Wah Teh (White Deerskin Woman). I am a first-year college student attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I am a multimedia artist; painter, sculptor, creative writer, slam poet, photographer, videographer, graphic designer, and regalia sewer. I have a passion to tell the stories of our people through filmmaking and different media.
Ellyse Fredericks:
Sonway taalawva! My name is Ellyse Fredericks and I’m from the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. I am a senior majoring in Journalism and Media Studies with a minor in Writing and will be graduating this fall from Fort Lewis College. I enjoy watching films because I enjoy analyzing the narrative structure and studying the camerawork. The fellowship appealed to me to create my own visual storytelling and learn new skills of filmmaking. Askwali (Thank you).
Tonya Tolino:
My name is Tonya Tolino and I am from the Navajo Nation. I am a recent graduate from Dartmouth College and my hobby interests include photography and painting. Film and media have always been an interest of mine, especially with seeing how impactful it can be for showing the beauty and diversity that exist in Indigenous communities around the world.
Evan Smith:
My name is Evan Smith, I am from Missoula Montana and I currently to school at IAIA (Institute of American Indian Art) in Santa Fe, N.M. to get my degree in digital filmmaking. I have loved Film since I was a child and some of my favorite films are Paris Texas, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Godzilla (1954), and American Splendor.
Nika Arce:
My name is Nika, I grew up in Phoenix, Ariz., I am from the Hopi village of Shungopavi. I dabble in Collage Art, and I write a little bit. I love the deeply chaotic nature of art, and film and movies have been my favorite way of combining all different art mediums to engage in storytelling.
Eva Bear:
I am Eva and I live in Durango. Colo. I am Mandan, Hidatsa, Oglala Lakota and enrolled in the three Affiliated Tribes in North Dakota. I wanted to do this fellowship because camerawork – whether it’s photography or videography – has always been a hobby of mine. Though I haven’t been able to explore it too much yet, I enjoy indulging in my passions when I can! I love documentaries because I think learning from films can be very useful and people love to watch things too!
Jules Joe:
Hello! I’m an Anthropology student in my final year at Fort Lewis College, and I’m from Gallup, N.M. My passions lie in cultural preservation and education, there is so much knowledge and value in simply documenting culture as it grows and adapts. I consider myself a creative and I want to be part of making media that represents a Native perspective that needs to be shared. Accessibility and equity have always been very important to me as a person with Autism and a person with disabled family/friends.
Native Lens Fellowship Public Screening
The films created during the Fellowship will be part of a public showcase of films from Native Lens and the Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media sponsored by the Durango Independent Film Festival. The showcase screening will be at the Durango Arts Center on Saturday, March 2. The screening will start at 5 p.m. and admission to the event is free.
Preceding the showcase will be a reception for the public to meet the fellows. This reception will be at Sorrel Sky Gallery from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, March 2. Non-alcoholic drinks and light refreshments will be available and free to the public.
About Native Lens
Native Lens is a film & video project collaboration between Rocky Mountain PBS, KSUT, and the Colorado Health Foundation to amplifies and empowers Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and First Nations people – through grassroots, first-person, narratives. Native Lens fosters the production and distribution of dozens of stories from individuals since 2020. The success of this program, combined with the launch of the Tribal Media Center in Ignacio, has allowed Native Lens to expand its mission by offering hands-on media training – like the Native Lens Fellowship – in the Four Corners and beyond.