Alaska Native woman holds traditionally woven basket in hands.
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Solstice X Sundance

June 23, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Solstice X Sundance at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on Friday, June 23, 2023 from 6-10PM with FREE admission for all as we celebrate solstice, community, and the spirit of film!

Join us for the community debut of two short films documenting the Alaska Native Heritage Center by filmmaker Alexis Sallee (Iñupiaq), the Alaska debut screening of “Fancy Dance” co-written by screenwriter Miciana Alise (Tlingit and Black), a live Q&A session with Alexis and Miciana, and a concert to follow with the infamous Marc Brown & the Blues Crew! The Ch’k’iqadi Gallery will be open with a 10% discount for guests AND we will have an Alaska Native artist market!

PROGRAM
6PM – Doors Open, Light Appetizers & Beverages available for the first 200 attendees
6:15PM – ANHC X Sundance Welcome
6:25PM – Film Premieres: ANHC Short Films and Fancy Dance (Fancy Dance film themes: Culture, MMIW, ICWA)
8:00PM – Q&A with filmmaker Alexis Sallee (Iñupiaq) and screenwriter Miciana Alise (Tlingit and Black) moderated by ANHC and Sundance
8:30PM – Concert: Marc Brown & the Blues Crew

This event is hosted by the Alaska Native Heritage Center in partnership with Sundance Institute with funding from the Mellon Foundation.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Alexis “Alex” Anoruk Sallee grew up in Dgheyey Kaq’ (Anchorage), Alaska of Inupiaq and Mexican descent. Her love of filmmaking found its start in sound. After years in audio post-production working in feature films and television, her move to directing and producing was after feeling the need to see Alaska Native representation in film. Her directorial debut Who We Are is a personal project discussing climate change and dedicated to her Inupiat ancestors. It was chosen as the Grand Prize winner in the “She Directed Filmmaker Contest” out of 400+ submissions nationwide. In October 2021, she premiered Dear Kin a letter to past, present, and future Indigenous queer relatives. It highlights individuals from the Alaska Native LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit community through video and portraiture. For 2021 Native Heritage Month, she wrote and directed Celebrating Our Beauty for the MTV Entertainment platform, featuring Indigenous tattoos that are traditionally done by women and the power that they carry. Sallee’s work is focused on sharing high quality cinematic stories from an Indigenous perspective that break down misconceptions and stereotypes of Indigenous and queer peoples.
Miciana Alise’s feature script, Nancy’s Girls, led to 2019 and 2021 Sundance Institute Indigenous Program Fellowships. Her second feature, Fancy Dance (co-write), lead to a 2021 Sundance Screenwriter’s Fellowship, 2021 SFFilm Rainin Grant, was featured on the inaugural Indigenous List hosted by The Black List, the 2022 Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List and premiered at Sundance 2023. Most recently, she was a 2022 Flaherty Fellow as well as Women at Sundance | Adobe Fellow. We are honored to host the Alaska debut of the “Fancy Dance” film premiere to educate viewers of the film themes of culture, MMIW and ICWA.

Details

Date:
June 23, 2023
Time:
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Alaska Native Heritage Center

ANHC is temporarily closed to the public from February 2024 – May 2024 for renovations to ANHC’s facility.