Four youth filmmakers from Southeast Alaska, ages 13 to 17, traveled to Calgary, Alberta last week to share their work at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. This year marked the festival’s 50th anniversary, and the second time it has hosted an Indigenous youth showcase.
This year, students from Wrangell, Angoon, Yakutat, and Juneau screened their short films and spoke about their creative process during a panel discussion.
13-year-old Ayla Harris, from Wrangell, presented a film titled Grand the Great. It's about her great-grandfather who came to embrace his Tlingit heritage later in life.
“I haven’t really been anywhere outside Alaska, so this was a really good experience for me,” Ayla said. “It is important to share about land and community, because you have to share about all of the lost culture and how they're bringing it back.”
Juneau filmmaker Kainoa Thole, age 15, screened It Takes a Forest, a 2D animation, which follows the journey of a lone wolf who makes an unlikely friend.
“I loved exploring Banff and enjoying everything it has to offer,” Kainoa said. “Sharing stories like this keeps history alive, and that’s really important.”
From Yakutat, 13-year-old Malena Ollaol showcased a film about the connection between the region’s forests and her community’s culture. Presenting in front of a crowd was intimidating at first, she said, but the audience was supportive.
“If you tell stories about your culture, it shows that you're not afraid to be who you are,” Malena said.
Angoon filmmaker Angel Jack, age 17, shared Healing Through Time, a film about the community’s ongoing healing following the 1882 bombardment of the village by the U.S. Navy. She said presenting the film in Canada and connecting with other filmmakers was a highlight.
“It’s important to share stories about your community,” Angel said. “Preserving your history is important so future generations can know about it.”
The trip was organized by documentary filmmaker Chelsea Jolly in collaboration with See Stories and Stikine Stories, two Alaska-based organizations that host digital media workshops for youth across the state. Joanna Croston, director of the film festival, said that they were delighted to work with the organizations to host Alaska youth, with films that were moving and well-crafted.
The author of this story is connected to See Stories and helped moderate the panel.
