NYU’s renowned Graduate Film Program will offer a three-week intensive workshop in Santa Fe this summer for director-writers of all backgrounds to develop their skills to support Indigenous storytelling. The free workshop, to be held July 14-Aug. 3, represents the first time NYU’s graduate film program has gone on location to reach students who may not be able to come to New York.

Faculty member Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, an Iñupiaq filmmaker born and raised in Alaska, will lead a team of instructors and assistants in this groundbreaking collaboration with Santa Fe Community College and the Institute of American Indian Art. Grad Film faculty Barbara Schock and Jennifer Ruff are the workshop’s creators.

The workshop will cover screenwriting and directing as well as editing, sound and cinematography. Students will craft scripts, complete directing exercises, and make their own micro-short films. The final projects will be screened at an event in New York City in the fall.

“NYU Tisch has made it a priority to cultivate and support indigenous directors and writers,” says Tisch School of the Arts Dean Allyson Green. “We believe more can be done to create space for and to highlight their stories and experiences. One way is to help train the next generation of indigenous filmmakers and their allies.”

Home to 23 Native tribes and Pueblos, New Mexico has a strong tradition of storytelling and artistic achievement. Its variety of landscapes and locations makes it a popular spot for filmmaking, attracting companies including Amazon, AMC, and Netflix. While many locals work on set, few of these productions are led by the Native Americans who live there.

The workshop hopes to address that gap. The program will host up to 12 students who are college age and older. Filmmaking experience is welcome but not required. Applicants must submit a visual or writing sample. Admissions will be decided on a rolling basis.

“Our teaching methods are based on directing exercises that are actually very low tech and focus on personal storytelling, which is why we can take people without a lot of filmmaking experience,” says Schock. “We are excited to bring this kind of instruction to Santa Fe, and hope it will open doors for students and create opportunities for them to discover their talents and voices.”