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KSUT and partners to host first Native Lens Media Fellowship in Durango, CO, February 26 – March 4

Charine Gonzales is a Tewa writer and director from the San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico, who also is the lead editor for Native Lens.
courtesy of Charine Gonzales
Lead editor for Native Lens, Charine Gonzales is a Tewa writer and director from the San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico.

KSUT, with partners Rocky Mountain PBS (RMPBS), Vision Maker Media, and the Durango Independent Film Festival (DIFF) will present the first Native Lens Media Fellowship in Durango, CO, February 26-March 4, 2023. Part of the Native Lens initiative, the fellowship is a training program for young Native American adults, offering hands on experience in filmmaking, public media distribution, networking, and training about film financing through non-profits such as Vision Maker Media.

Participants will create 2 projects, from planning to delivery during the weeklong fellowship. They will premiere at the Durango Independent Film Festival as part of a showcase of Native Lens stories. This free showcase takes place Saturday, March 4, at the Durango Arts Center at 5:00 PM. Meet the Native Lens Fellowship participants and other DIFF filmmakers at a public reception that afternoon at the Sorrel Sky Gallery from 3:00-4:30.

About Native Lens
Native Lens is a collaboration between Rocky Mountain PBS, KSUT, and the Colorado Health Foundation to amplify Native American voices during the pandemic. The initial concept allowed for the evolution of a program that now seeks to empower Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and First Nations people - through grassroots, first-person, narratives. This has fostered the production and distribution of dozens of stories from individuals since 2020, which continue to be submitted and finalized for publication. 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 trainings, such as the Native Lens Fellowship, and other educational opportunities in the Four Corners and beyond.

Colton Ashley is a Diné filmmaker originally from the Four Corners region. He studied Media Arts at Brigham Young University, emphasizing narrative filmmaking and critical media studies.
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