What is the Residency Program?
The Residency Program for Emerging Narratives from Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America is an exciting new initiative launched by INUTW in 2023 with the support of the Tenure Facility. This program builds on the success of our ‘Emerging Filmmakers Program’, which to date has successfully trained over 26 community filmmakers across the tropics. It offers a valuable next step for 8 filmmakers and photographers who are at a more advanced stage professionally to further enhance their artistic expression and storytelling.
During the Residency training, participants will be given the opportunity to bring their own photography or audiovisual project to life in a supportive and creatively nurturing environment. These projects will focus on capturing the diverse narratives of their ancestral lands while addressing critical social and environmental issues, pushing the boundaries of traditional donor or NGO-based film commissions.
This Residency Program will equip participants with tools and platforms to increase their access to decision-makers and influencers, thereby enhancing the visibility and impact of their projects.
As part of the Residency Program for Impact and Amplification of the Emerging Narratives of the Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant, and Local Communities of Latin America Team, I’m excited to co-create this great opportunity to embrace and enhance the diverse narratives of our territories, preserve our culture, and create positive change thru our lens. Together in this program, we amplify voices that deserve to be heard and drive the change we want to see, and I’m proud to be a part of this transformative initiative at INUTW.
Yurshell Rodríguez I Coordinator of the Residency Program
Meet our Residents
Discover the Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities residents selected for our program. Coming from diverse backgrounds and deeply connected to storytelling, film and photography. Each brings a blend of unique insights, experiences, and dedication to support and amplify the voices and stories of Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America.
Cinematography Residents
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Filmmaker, Visual Anthropologist, and Historian. Specialized in Governance, Human Rights, and Peace Culture. She has six years o…
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Indigenous Filmmaker Jimmy is of Siekopai nationality, which means “the people of many colors.” He comes from the Si…
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Indigenous Filmmaker Kuyu is a filmmaker in Kuyujani Produccion Audiovisual and belongs to the Indigenous People of Yekwana (Sta…
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Indigenous Leader, Storyteller, Filmmaker Peregrino is a young Indigenous member of the Ese Eja people in the Madre de Dios regi…
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Sany is a woman from the Sapara nationality, and at the age of 15, she began to engage in environmental activism. She also collaborates…
Photography Residents
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Traditional Emberal Painter and Photographer Elio Cunampio is an Indigenous Embera community in Panama. Like many Indigenous Peo…
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Photographer, Filmmaker and Producer Génesis Gutiérrez, a Wayuu Epiayu from the Zahino community in southern La Guajira, bring…
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Social Communicator, Photographer and Audiovisual Producer Laura is a dynamic Afro-Colombian communicator, photographer, and aud…
Our Program
Throughout the year, the Residency Program participants will benefit from personalized guidance and comprehensive training. They will engage in dynamic resident-to-resident learning experiences designed to enable creativity and collaboration. Additionally, participants will have exclusive access to virtual and in-person masterclasses conducted by mentors and professionals in filmmaking, documentary production, and photography.
The program will navigate from development of the idea, writing, production, pre/post-production, editing and distribution strategies to navigating copyrighting issues. Also, the program includes micro-financing to young Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America content producers.
The mentors will consistently provide ongoing online guidance, ensuring participants receive real-time feedback and technical support throughout the program. Rooted in the profound narratives of their communities, our mentors reflect on social and environmental issues within their work. Their expertise not only enhances the skills of our residents but also unlocks new opportunities for a comprehensive and impactful learning experience. As a culmination of the Residency Program, an additional workshop will be conducted to review the collective journey, celebrate successes, and identify future paths.
The Residency and Distribution team will actively support the reach of these projects to local and global audiences, championing the voices and stories of Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America.
In-person Workshops – Cali Gathering 2023
The in-person program is crafted to amplify the creative work from Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America-focused content creators.
Our first kick-off happened in Cali, Colombia, starting with a workshop, laying down the foundation and emphasizing the power of learning from each other.
Impact
The Residency Program creates a bridge, through storytelling between Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America-focused content creators, accelerating collective efforts to steward their territory and the decision makers (including the donor community) who can influence action to support their tenure rights.
Meet the Mentors
To amplify Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America within global conversations, we are proud to introduce two mentors who will serve as a guide for our Residents to work with filmmakers and photography and introduce cinematographic projects, brainstorming ideas for photography navigating from the development of the idea, writing, production, pre/post-production, editing and experiencing on the field sessions to develop their ideas into reality.
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Cinematography Mentor Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, she holds a degree in Social Communication with a specialization in audiovis…
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Photography Mentor Sara Aliaga Ticona is an Aymara Indigenous Bolivian social communicator, photojournalist, and visual artist. …
The Residency Team
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Coordinator of the Residency Program Yurshell Rodríguez is an Environmental Engineer from the National University of Colombia a…
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Activist & Impact and Distribution Strategist. Campaigner, social scientist and feminist activist with a background in climate acti…
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Filmmaker Jaye Renold is a documentary filmmaker and visual journalist with a background in environmental campaigning, anthropology a…
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Actress & Emerging Filmmakers Program Administrator. Isabela Santana is a Pataxó actress and producer at the Emerging Filmmakers P…
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Writer, Producer & Emerging Filmmakers Program Administrator. Maria Luisa Santana – or just Malu – is a writer, poet, c…
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Joel Redman is a contemporary artist whose work focuses on the land, communities, climate change and the environment. Joel’s photogr…
The Residency Program is a reality thanks to the ongoing support of the Tenure Facility.
We collaborate continuously on elevating the development of young Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants, and community-based artists in filmmaking, photography, and storytelling. At the heart of our mission is the belief in storytelling as a powerful tool, it connects the dreams and goals of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, protecting their land rights, and key decision-makers and everyone who is part to highlight stories of land rights, recognize Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities rights, and preserve knowledge-sharing and deep conversations with ancestral knowledge in today’s climate discussions.
Contact us
Have questions or want to get in touch with us about this training program? Please feel free to reach out through the provided contact information, and we’ll be delighted to connect with you.