A panel discussion that explores how colonial funding institutions can better serve Indigenous filmmakers is sure to be a valued highlight of Canada’s presence at this year’s European Film Market (EFM)! The online market will take place in tandem with the Berlin International Film Festival, from February 10 to 17, 2022.
If you’re looking for a 2022 EFM Industry Sessions to add to your itinerary, check out How Colonial Funding Institutions Can Better Serve Indigenous Filmmakers, a panel that is part of the Diversity & Inclusion stream. Aligned with this year’s Industry Sessions theme, “Shaping Change,” this panel (presented by Telefilm Canada) is happening online on February 11 at 1:00 PM EST.
With a special introduction by Telefilm Canada’s Executive Director and CEO, Christa Dickenson and moderated by Adriana Chartrand, Telefilm’s Lead, Indigenous Initiatives and Content Analyst, the discussion will explore various challenges and barriers that Indigenous filmmakers face when accessing film funding through colonial institutions, and how policies and requirements could change to better serve the needs of Indigenous filmmakers working in territories around the world.
The discussion will open with a fire-side chat with Sardana Savvina (Sakha Cinema Club – Yakutia’s Independent Filmmakers’ Community) and continue with four Indigenous producers and industry advocates joining the panel.
Starting with an overview of Indigenous film funding in each of the regions represented, the panelists will discuss how to maintain the spirit and intent of Indigenous film funding by creating new policies and system. With Pipaluk Jorgenseon’s Canada-Greenland coproduction This Road of Mine as a starting point, advocates will share what changes need to be made to enable Indigenous people to collaborate with each other internationally and across colonial, often arbitrary, borders.
