Tribal College Journal (TCJ) has announced that it is partnering with the Pocahontas Reframed “Storytellers” Film Festival, a nationally acclaimed film event that brings Native filmmakers from across North America together for four  days of panels and screenings of Indigenous films. The winner of the 2019 TCJ Student best film award will receive a $1,000 prize, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to the third annual Pocahontas Reframed “Storytellers” Film Festival, which will be held in Richmond, Virginia, November 21-24, 2019, at the historic Byrd Theatre.

TCJ Student has garnered national attention through its annual film competition, which has been held for the past four years and has tapped into the growing creative film output at tribal colleges and universities. The partnership with Pocahontas Reframed offers tribal college student filmmakers an unprecedented opportunity to showcase their work at an international film festival that has brought together filmmakers and stars like Michael Horse, Shelley Niro, Darlene Naponse, George Aguilar, and PuraFe.

“I am looking forward to partnering with the Tribal College Journal,” says Brad Brown, the film festival’s organizer. “Storytelling and filmmaking have suffered from a lack of representation of important groups that influenced American democracy, notably Native Americans. Native culture is rich, steeped in history, and multifaceted, yet mainstream films do not often capture this nuance. With this partnership we hope to honor the contributions of Native student filmmakers and reinvigorate the conversations about telling stories of Indigenous life.”

Tribal College Journal publisher Rachael Marchbanks says, “This is an amazing opportunity for an aspiring student filmmaker to not only receive recognition but also to have the chance to network and form working relationships with professionals in the industry. TCJ seeks to foster and support the art of film production among tribal college students through this contest and by partnering with Pocahontas Reframed.”

To be eligible for the TCJ Student film contest and Pocahontas Reframed, students must be currently enrolled at an AIHEC-affiliated tribal college. Students can enroll in the contest at TCJStudent.org or by checking the entry box at the AIHEC student film contest. Films must be under 30 minutes in length and the deadline for entering is March 22, 2019. For more information on the contest, and to access the official TCJ Student entry form, visit: http://tcjstudent.org/contest/