This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two American Indian storytellers have been picked to take part in the Sundance Institute's Native Filmmakers Lab.
The two will attend the Sundance lab, June 12-17, in Santa Fe, N.M., receiving guidance from Sundance's Creative Advisors. They also will receive grants to fund production of their short films and targeted support from a supervising producer, and they will take part in the annual Native Forum at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
The two filmmakers, and their projects (synopses by the Sundance Institute):
• Shane McSauby (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), born and raised in Grand Rapids, Mich., and a graduate of Grand Valley State University now living in New York City. He is the first Sundance Institute | Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellow. His film, "Mino Bimaadiziwin," is described thus: "A young Ojibwe man must choose between the comfort of city living or Mino Bimaadizwin, the path to the good life, after reconnecting with his culture through a young Ojibwe woman."
• Willi White (Oglala Lakota) is a photographer, filmmaker, actor and entrepreneur who recently worked as a production assistant for Oscar winner Andrea Arnold on her movie "American Honey." Here's a description of his film, "Miye, Unkiye": "On the Pine Ridge reservation, a young Oglala Lakota man has accidentally created a menacing spirit which only he can see and which he must destroy."