Australia/New Zealand program participant Pouarii Tanner recently contacted IENA from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Sundance is the largest independent film festival in the US. Founded by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that actively advances the work of independent storytellers in film and theatre.
Pouarii joined the Indigenous Program that Robert Redford established as part of the institute when he founded Sundance. “I got to meet him the other day and he was very nice and is incredibly passionate about indigenous film and filmmakers.”
Pouarii is a New Zealand-born Cook Islander and recent graduate of AUT University in Auckland with a degree in Cultural and Creative Practice. She says “my thesis looked at designing sustainable models for indigenous creative practitioners. I joined the Sundance Indigenous Program (Part of the Sundance Institute) based in LA through the AUT Internz program.”
“I am currently at the Sundance Festival with the team to see films and to support the 2019 Sundance Indigenous fellows by arranging meetings and films for them to see that will be relevant to the projects they are currently working on. This year, for the first time they are all indigenous women from all around the world, including two women from New Zealand, so I feel very honoured to join this team at this exciting time.”
Pouarii is here with the other members of the Native American/Indigenous Program staff. Congrats to Pouarii for being selected to participate in this fantastic opportunity at Sundance. We wish her well and look forward to hearing more!
More about the Sundance Institute:
“Sundance Institute’s commitment to supporting Indigenous artists is woven throughout our history. Indigenous filmmakers have long been involved in the Institute, going back to Larry LittleBird (Laguna/ Santo Domingo Pueblo) and Chris SpottedEagle (Houmas Nation) who participated in the first meetings founding Sundance Institute. Following President and Founder Robert Redford’s original vision, the Institute has remained committed to supporting the voices of Indigenous artists.”