Sydney Freeland

Sydney Freeland
Born (1980-10-29) October 29, 1980
Gallup, New Mexico, United States
Education Academy of Art University, San Francisco
Occupation Director
Screenwriter
Known for Drunktown's Finest
Home town Los Angeles, California

Sydney Freeland (born 1980) is a Navajo filmmaker. She wrote and directed the short film Hoverboard (2012) and Drunktown's Finest (2014), which garnered numerous acclaims after premiering at Sundance.[1]

Early life

Freeland was born in Gallup, New Mexico, USA in 1980, to a Navajo father and a Scottish mother. She was raised on a Navajo reservation, and her hometown, Gallup, was dubbed “Drunktown.” Freeland attended Academy of Art University in San Francisco.[2] She is a 2004 Fulbright scholar, focusing her scholarship on a field study of indigenous peoples in Ecuador. She has a Master of Fine Arts in film, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in computer animation. Freeland is a 2007 Disney Scholarship recipient and a 2008 Disney Fellowship semifinalist. Freeland is also a 2009 Sundance Institute Native Lab fellow.[2][3]

Career

Prior to making her first feature-length film, Drunktown's Finest, Freeland previously worked as a production assistant, as a writer and as a camera intern.[4] Freeland worked in a number of areas, including; The Food Network, Walt Disney, Comedy Central, and National Geographic.[5] Freeland directed a six-minute short, Hoverboard, utilizing Kickstarter to help fund the short.[6] The film was inspired by Back to the Future Part II. Drunktown's Finest is her second venture into filmmaking. The 95 minute long film[7] is a coming-of-age story about the complex issues surrounding identity and the struggles faced by Native American people.[7][8] The film's name is inspired by a controversial 20/20 segment on ABC News, which branded the town of Gallup, New Mexico as "Drunk Town, USA", after the increase of instances of alcoholism on the border of the Navajo Nation.[9] Freeland wrote, directed Drunktown's Finest as means to combat the negative stereotype of her home community.[7] Freeland, who is herself a transgender woman, is also directing a digital series about queer and trans women called Her Story.[10]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Award Year Project Category Result
Ashland Independent Film Festivals 2014 Drunktown's Finest Narrative Feature - Honorable Mention[12] Won
Heartland Film Festivals 2014 Drunktown's Finest Narrative Feature[13] Won
L.A. Outfest 2014 Drunktown's Finest Outstanding American Narrative Feature[14] Won
HBO Outstanding First Narrative Feature[14] Won
Albuquerque Film & Media Experience 2014 Drunktown's Finest Best of New Mexico[15] Won
American Indian Film Festival 2014 Drunktown's Finest Best Film[16] Won
Best Supporting Actress[16] Won
Best Actor[17] Nominated
Best Director[17] Nominated
Best Actress[17] Nominated
Best Actor[17] Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Sciortino, Karley (19 February 2015). "Why You Should See Drunktown's Finest This Weekend". Vogue. Vogue. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Academy of Art University Alumni". Academy of Art University. Academy of Art University. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Silverstein, Melissa. "Sundance Women Directors: Meet Sydney Freeland". Women and Hollywood. Indiewire. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  4. ↑ name ="gatewood">Gatewood, Tara. "Shifting Views with Drunktown's Finest". Native Peoples. Native Peoples Magazine. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Hoverboard". PBS Online Film Festival. PBS. Retrieved 5 April 2015. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  6. ↑ Freeland, Sydney. "Hoverboard". Kickstarter. Kickstarter. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Shifting Views with Drunktown's Finest". nativepeoples.com.
  8. ↑ "Director Sydney Freeland Discusses Drunktown's Finest - Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine.
  9. ↑ Brodeur, Paul. "Combating Alcohol Abuse in Northwestern New Mexico: Gallup's Fighting Back and Healthy Nations Programs". Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
  10. ↑ Jusino, Teresa. "Interview: Her Story Director Sydney Freeland on Trans People Telling Trans Stories". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "Sydney Freeland". IMDb.
  12. ↑ "Winners announced at AIFF awards celebration". mailtribune.com.
  13. ↑ heartlandfilm. "2014 Heartland Film Festival Announces Grand Prize Winners, Awards Over $115,000 to Independent Filmmakers". Heartland Film.
  14. 1 2 "2014 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES AWARDS". Outfest.
  15. ↑ "AFME 2014 Award Winners". abqfilmx.com.
  16. 1 2 "'Drunktown' and 'Rhymes' Rule American Indian Film Festival Awards". Indian Country Today Media Network.com.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show". aifisf.com.
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