The Rocket Boy at Sundance

Navajo filmmakers' short accepted at SundanceA short film made by three local Navajo filmmakers has been accepted to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

Out of 6,467 short films submitted from U.S. and international filmmakers, 81 were selected for the Jan. 20-30 festival. And while the young filmmakers are thrilled with the recognition, they're worried about getting to the festival, said director Donavan Seschillie.And:"The Rocket Boy" will be one of seven premiering shorts in the Indigenous Shorts Showcase section of the Short Film Series. Seschille and colleagues Jake Hoyungowa, 21, and Deidra Peaches, 22, made the film using local actors and crew.

Michael Sangsteer, the main character of "The Rocket Boy," is a sixth-grader at Sinagua Middle School. Sangsteer began working on the short film in 2007, when he was 8. His first role was in the short film "Imagine," directed by Peaches. The film was created for a contest held by the National Museum of the American Indian's showcase, "Thanksgiving Revisited: New Views by Young Filmmakers."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Sundance at the Aboriginal Pavilion and The Dry Land at Sundance.