Vision Maker seeks Native movies

So you want to be in the movies....

By Christina RoseImagine if all it took to pursue your dream of making movies was to come up with seven written pages. Adrian Baker, producer of the animated series of nine half-hour shows, “Injunuity” did just that. “Whenever I talk to young filmmakers, I tell them I am living proof that six or seven pages can change your life,” he said.

“Injunuity” covers issues such as preserving sacred sites, the environment, health, language preservation and more. “We take information, make the story, then give it an animated background,” Baker said. “I had this project in my head for 10 years,” Baker said. Taking his idea, he wrote out the proposal and applied to Vision Maker Media. He received a “really positive” response, “And it took off from there,” Baker said, admitting that he was not new to the film scene and already had a comprehensive reel of films. “They knew what it would look like, and they wanted to do it. They gave me the initial funding,” he said.

Vision Maker Media is a Native organization that is heavily funded by Public Broadcasting. The group is always looking for provocative and engaging completed films from independent or public television producers. Their goal is to encourage works that address new and current issues reflecting the changing nature of Native American communities.

“We’re particularly interested in programs such as Native American Graduates, Women and Girls who Lead, and Veterans’ Issues,” said Shirley K. Sneve (Sicangu), Vision Maker Media’s executive director.Comment:  For more on Native movies, see Running Deer Premieres at Ak-Chin and Black Cat in Space.