First Light Wins Audience Award at One Nation Film Film Festival
From the One Nation Film Festival: The AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM goes to FIRST LIGHT directed by Adam Mazo, Ben Pender-Cudlip and produced by Upstander Project.
Congratulations!
The Award was presented by Miss Northern Navajo Vanessa Sloan Lister and was accepted on your behalf by Don Anderson. Don is member of the One Nation Walking Together Board and is a registered member of the Chickasaw Tribe.
The awards were designed by Bowen Pottery
The Laurels were designed by Olivier Sabatier.
Upstander Project Presents at Harvard Graduate School of Education
Participants at the Upstander Project workshop at HGSE studied First Light learning resources and historical texts.
Upstander Project Learning Director Dr. Mishy Lesser
Upstander Academy Registration Now Open
We hope you plan to join us for the Upstander Academy and take advantage of the discounted registration fee before space runs out.
We hope you plan to join us for the Upstander Academy and take advantage of the discounted registration fee before space runs out.
The Upstander Project and the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut are proud to present an inquiry-based professional development opportunity for secondary teachers using genocide and human rights education to address complex historical and current issues. Middle and high school teachers helped design the Academy to ensure its relevancy.
Teachers interested in themes such as post-genocide Rwanda and cultural genocide against Native Americans are encouraged to join us. These content areas provide a helpful framework for strengthening social emotional competencies and learning about the importance of upstanders.
Early Registration Deadline: Monday, February 15th
Upstander Academy 2016
Monday, August 1st - Friday, August 5th
Dodd Center at the University of Connecticut
To register click here. A $25 deposit is required to secure your spot. The $100 balance is due on or before June 30th.
This video shares a truth we all need to hear on Columbus Day
“The film looks at the historical motives to remove native American children from their homes, first by sending them to boarding schools at the turn of the 20th century and then, starting in the late 50s, through adoptions.”
“The directors of “First Light” chose Columbus Day on purpose to debut the short documentary examining abuses of native children and communities within the child welfare system.
“We think it’s important to release First Light on Indigenous Peoples’ Day to shift the spotlight from Christopher Columbus, a chief architect of colonial violence, to the more than five million indigenous and Native American people living in the United States today and current critical issues: Tribal sovereignty, sacredness of children, land and tradition,” said Adam Mazo, one of the film’s co-directors in an interview on Indian Country Media Network published Monday.”
Continue reading at Bangor Daily News.
Forced Removal of Native American Children From Parents Exposed in 13 Minutes
“According to a 1976 report commissioned by the Association on American Indian Affairs, as many as one third of Native American children were separated from their families between 1941 and 1967.
“This problem of Native American children being taken from their families is not unique to Maine. And it’s been going on for decades and centuries,” said Adam Mazo.”
“A 13 minute documentary about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), set up in Maine to investigate the forcible removal of Native American children from their homes over many years, debuts today.
For hundreds of years, Federal and state governments wrested Native American children from their parents and placed them in institutions of one kind or another or in the homes of white families in an effort to “civilize the savage born”. This practice and policy left many of those children psychologically battered for the rest of their lives. One Native American woman told Maine's Truth and Reconciliation commissioners that she still has nightmares from the coming of age experience.”
Continue reading at GBH.
ICTMN Exclusive: New Film Documents Maine’s Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission
First Light, the new documentary film that explores the historic Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare TRC, is making its world debut today on ICTMN.
“First Light, the new independent documentary film that explores the historic Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC), is making its world debut today on Indian Country Today Media Network. According to the film’s directors, Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip, the short documentary film examines the historic collaboration between the five Wabanaki tribes and the state of Maine in response to the past abuses within the state’s child welfare system.
The first of its kind in U.S. History, the Maine TRC was established in 2012 in an agreement between Governor Paul LePage and chiefs from the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians, the Penobscot Indian Nation, and the Passamaquoddy at Sipayik and Indian Township.”
Continue reading at Indian Country Today.
New Film "First Light" Released Today
FIRST LIGHT FREE TO STREAM ON UPSTANDER PROJECT WEBSITE
Today the Upstander Project is pleased to announce the premiere of its new short documentary film, First Light. This 13-minute film is part of a series anchored by our upcoming feature film Dawnland, slated for released in 2017.
We are releasing First Light today in recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day, also known as Columbus Day. We chose today because we support efforts to transform the holiday into a celebrating of Indigenous Peoples, instead of one that celebrates a person known for bringing violence and slavery to the land we now call North America.
We welcome your comments, questions, and reflections here and on Facebook, twitter, pinterest, and instagram.
First Light Preview
Watch a preview of our new film, First Light!
Today the Upstander Project is releasing the preview of First Light, the debut film in the Dawnland series, which is anchored by the feature film Dawnland slated for release in early 2017.
First Light independently documents the work of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first such task force in US history to investigate issues important to Native Americans. The commission was dedicated to uncovering and acknowledging the truth about what happened to Wabanaki children and families involved with the child welfare system.
We welcome your comments, reflections, and questions.