“The purpose of the Content Fund is to increase the diversity of voices in public media,” said NAPT Executive Director Shirley K. Sneve (Rosebud Sioux). “There are very few avenues open to documentary filmmakers, and NAPT believes that our organization has a great responsibility to support the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media. NAPT also believes that support from NAPT can help open other doors for various forms of other funding.”

Projects in any phase of production are eligible to apply for funding with NAPT. Awards for research and development range from $5,000 to $20,000, awards for production or completion can be up to $100,000, and New Media awards range from $5,000 to $20,000. NAPT does not fully fund programs, and awardees are required to seek additional funding from other sources. Projects funded through NAPT will be considered for additional distribution opportunities, such as educational and home DVD distribution through VisionMaker; theatrical; non-theatrical; television (free, pay syndicated, and video-on-demand); multimedia; and Internet broadcasting (including podcasting and streaming).

“First and foremost, NAPT is looking for compelling Native stories. Priority will be given to projects intended for the series Native Word: Stories Past & Present,” commented NAPT Assistant Director Georgiana Lee (Navajo). “Second, NAPT would like to see programs that accurately illuminate aspects of contemporary Tribal cultures or peoples. The primary audience is PBS viewers, so NAPT wants stories that transcend Native culture.”

New this year, NAPT is also requesting stories for the upcoming public television series Growing Native. This seven-part series will focus on reclaiming traditional knowledge and food ways to address critical issues of health and wellness, the environment and human rights. Episodes will focus on seven geographic regions, including the Northwest, Southwest, Southern Plains/Oklahoma, Northeast, Southeast, Northern Plains/Canada, and Alaska. Segments intended for Growing Native will be five to fifteen-minutes in length, and will also be part of rich, web-based interactive media.

A five-person panel of public television professionals, independent producers, and Native history and resource experts will review submissions and recommend proposals for funding. Additionally, NAPT assists producers with fundraising, navigating the public television system for national broadcast and marketing efforts.

Find NAPT Public Media Content Fund guidelines and application materials here.

The Huffington Post: Two Spirits: Overlapping Identities for First Nations People
The story of Fred Martinez’s life and death is a compelling story for so many reasons. Particularly the fact that the movie was the first time I have seen the story of Two Spirit people highlighted, front and center. I am grateful to the filmmakers and participants who brought Fred’s story forward.

Indian Country Today: Nádleehí and Proud
Two Spirits, a documentary that chronicles the life and death of a transgender Navajo teenage boy, will debut on June 14 on the Emmy-winning PBS series Independent Lens. The 60-minute film, directed and co-produced by Lydia Nibley of Riding the Tiger Productions, tells the story of Fred Martinez, who was what the Navajo call nádleehí—a male with a feminine essence.

Technorati.com: Two Spirits Debuts on Independent Lens Tuesday, June 14
Fred Martinez made a courageous choice—to be himself—and paid for it with his life. This in a country where rugged individualism and freedom of expression are highly treasured traditions. Two Spirits is a moving film, a tribute to his courage.

Hyphen Magazine: Q&A with Tales of the Waria Director Kathy Huang
Huang’s latest film, Tales of the Waria, follows a community of transgender women who are looking for romance and intimacy in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country. Through their stories, she hopes to challenges your ideas about gender, Islam, and love.  I caught up with the Los Angeles-based documentary film director recently, in advance of the summer screenings of her film.

Visit our pressroom to find additional coverage of ITVS programs.

imagineNATIVE is an international Festival that celebrates the latest works by Indigenous peoples at the forefront of innovation in film, video, radio and new media.

Each fall, the Festival presents a selection of the most compelling and distinctive Indigenous works from Canada and around the globe. The works accepted reflect the diversity of the world’s Indigenous nations and illustrate the vitality and excellence of art and culture in contemporary media.

Filmmakers take note of the quickly approaching June 1 deadline. You can find more information on the festival and entry guidelines, here.

With the film still fresh in your head, check out how a classroom of Native children react to a Hollywood version of an Indian massacre in the film Little Big Man (starring Dustin Hoffman).

Let us know what you think on our Facebook page.

Independent Lens continues next Tuesday with The Longoria Affair by director John J. Valadez. The documentary tells the story of a small-town funeral home in WWII-era Texas and its refusal to care for a Mexican American soldier’s body, “because the whites wouldn’t like it.” The film chronicles the fallout of that event, and the civil rights movement it helped to spawn.

Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian

Traveling through the heartland of America, and into the Canadian North, Diamond looks at how the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding — and misunderstanding — of Natives.

Check out the trailer below and enjoy this interview with filmmaker Neil Diamond on the new Independent Lens Blog.

Join the conversation on the Independent Lens Facebook page.

America Ferrera hosts the ninth season of Independent Lens

The film Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian airs this Tuesday, November 2 on Independent Lens. Director Neil Diamond’s documentary explores the depiction of Natives on the big screen and television throughout modern cinema — from the noble savage, to the grinning right-hand man to the white hero, to recent inroads made in films by and about Natives people themselves.

Watch this clip of Independent Lens host America Ferrera as she recognizes the film and Native American Heritage month.

Pat Kruis, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Pat Kruis, from Oregon Public Broadcasting, reports on a recent Community Cinema screening of Reel Injun in Portland, OR. The event was hosted by OPB and the University of Oregon School of Journalism. Find upcoming Community Cinema events near you and join the conversation on our Facebook page.

Community Cinema reminds me of how much I miss watching films in the company of others. I’ve fallen prey to the isolation of Netflix, Red Box, and the DVR.

When I watched Reel Injun: On the Train of the Hollywood Indian alone, I had a mild-mannered reaction, thanking the filmmaker for his light touch when he could have been angry.

Watching it again in a room full of eighty people sprinkled with Native Americans, put me closer to the sting as the film slapped their heritage with insult after insult.

“Those pictures of those people dying, that ripped my heart out,” said Jerrilyn, a Native American who brought her grown children to the screening to, “stick up for the Indians.”

The audience laughed together at the subtitle translations when native actors went off script, unnoticed by a director who didn’t speak their language.

We gasped in unison when Bugs Bunny erased half a hash mark for a dead Indian because he was a “half-breed.”

In the dark, the audience responded like a single organism. When the lights came up, we saw our differences. Here are some reactions in quotes:

“The movie industry is an industry. They want to make movies that appeal to the broadest audience. The headbands kept the wigs on and were more comfortable than glue.” — Ted Mahar, Film Critic.

“People ask me if I live in a teepee. They call me a squaw. They ask if I did a rain dance to make it rain. It’s all this stuff that Hollywood puts on television.” — Jerrilyn Courturier, Native American.

“It’s our responsibility as a filmmaker to be authentic. It’s our responsibility as an audience member to be present and aware of what we’re seeing.” — Ryan Crisman, Oregon Media Production Association

“I see a big shift of us being more compassionate to our neighbors and more understanding of others in our community.” — Donita Fry, Native American Youth and Family Center.

Watching this film as a community put me in touch with the passion of the people at the center of this documentary. That’s Community Cinema. I’m looking forward to an excellent season.

In this video extra, teenager Jesse Desrosier gives an intimate look into daily life on the Blackfeet reservation and attending the Nizipuhwahsin School. DesRosier captures the challenges he faces as a young American Indian living in two worlds: modern mid-America and that of his traditional heritage.

SUMMER SUN WINTER MOON airs this November on public television (check local listings).

Learn more about SUMMER SUN WINTER MOON from filmmaker Hugo Perez >>

It’s time to cut our dependence on fossil fuel and pursue renewable energy. But how can it be done? Native American tribes turn to solar and wind sources to provide clean sustainable energy for cities across the West. Their traditional values toward conservation and the Earth offer real solutions to America’s energy crisis.

POWER PATHS premieres tonight, November 3, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).