4TH WORLD MEDIA LAB
SUPPORTING CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR INDIGENOUS STORYTELLERS
The 4th World Media Lab is a year-long fellowship for emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers, providing opportunities to develop filmmaking skills and networks through festival participation, hands-on training, masterclasses, workshopping projects in development, pitch activities, and meetings with funders and other industry decision-makers. Fellowship activities take place at three film festivals:
- Big Sky Documentary Film Festival – February 2024 (Missoula, MT)
- Seattle International Film Festival – May 2024 (Seattle, WA)
- Camden International Film Festival – September 2024 (Camden, ME)
The program is a collaborative partnership between the festivals and Nia Tero. The Points North Institute in Camden provides a vast network of peer and industry mentors and resources at CIFF, including access to the Points North Forum and opportunities for one-on-one connections with future collaborators and funders. At Big Sky, fellows will attend the DocShop filmmaker’s forum, Indigenous filmmaker screenings and events, and a private seminar with leaders in the Indigenous filmmaking community and the film industry at large. The Seattle experience, in partnership with Nia Tero, offers industry master classes, hands-on training and global networking in the SIFF urban festival atmosphere.
The selected fellows will receive a $10,000 artist development grant from the Nia Tero Foundation and the following benefits for each festival visit:
- Round trip travel and accommodations (or travel stipend to cover costs)\
- Meal per diem (cash stipend to cover meals and incidentals)
- All Access Festival Pass