The Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Sundance Institute host Solstice X Sundance: Film Premieres & Concert celebrating Solstice, Community, and Spirit of Film
The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) and the Sundance Institute are honored to partner and host “Solstice X Sundance: Film Premieres & Concert” on Friday, June 23, 2023, from 6-10 PM at the Alaska Native Heritage Center theater and outdoor space in celebration of solstice and the spirit of film. This community event is free and open to all and will showcase a 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 a Tlingit & Haida tribal citizen, a live Q&A session hosted by the Sundance Institute and ANHC, and a concert to follow with the infamous Marc Brown & the Blues Crew from 8:30-10 PM.
“Representation across the board matters, and we are elated to partner with the Sundance Institute to uplift two incredible Alaska Native filmmakers and screenwriters,” shared Emily Edenshaw, ANHC’s President and CEO. “Our intention is to create a space of community, dialogue, and celebration around film creation and the themes of Culture, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), key themes of the ANHC films by Alexis Sallee and the film Fancy Dance.”
Sundance Institute Indigenous Program Director, Adam Piron, shares “We’re just as proud to continue another year of partnership with ANHC as we are to be bringing the film Fancy Dance, co-written by a Tlingit and Haida tribal citizen, to its homelands for its Alaskan premiere screening. A core component of Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program’s work is to bring Indigenous artists to Indigenous communities and to connect them through cinema. With Fancy Dance‘s premiere at this most recent edition of our festival, this screening felt only natural and an unparalleled opportunity to celebrate the work of this film.
The event will also showcase an Alaska Native artist market in the Gathering Place where attendees can support Alaska Native artists and the Ch’k’iqadi Gallery will be open with a 10% appreciation discount for attendees. This event is made possible with support funding from the Mellon Foundation.
