What is the Residency Program?
The Residency Programs for Emerging Narratives from Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities are dynamic initiatives created by If Not Us Then Who? (INUTW).
These Residencies offer a valuable next step for filmmakers and photographers who are at a more advanced stage in their professional journey, seeking to deepen their artistic expression and storytelling.
Through the Residency, participants have the opportunity to develop their own photography or audiovisual projects within a supportive and creatively rich environment. These projects aim to capture the diverse narratives of their communities and territories while tackling pressing social and environmental issues.
This Residency Program also equips participants with the tools, skills, and platforms needed to amplify their voices, increasing access to decision-makers and influencers, and boosting the reach and impact of their stories.
Our residency programs are immersive, collective experiences that go beyond technical skills. They are powerful opportunities to embrace and elevate the diverse narratives of our territories, preserve our culture, and create positive change through our lens. I’m proud to be part of this transformative initiative at INUTW and to help expand it to other countries.
Yurshell Rodríguez I Head of The Global Training Programs
Our Program
Throughout the year, program participants will receive personalized guidance and in-depth training, including peer-to-peer learning and exclusive masterclasses led by mentors and professionals in filmmaking, photography, and digital media. The program will guide them through every stage of the creative process—from story development and ethical community engagement to production, post-production, and distribution—with a special focus on intellectual property and consent. Participants will also receive financing to help bring their projects to life.
Mentors, who ground their work in their own communities’ lived experiences and pressing social and environmental issues, will provide continuous online support and feedback, supporting both technical growth and ethical reflection.
By the end of the program, the following outcomes will be realized:
- A diverse collection of visual stories (films, photography, digital media pieces) created in partnership with diverse creatives
- Enhanced technical and ethical capacity among participants in community-based storytelling
- Increased public awareness of Indigenous struggles, knowledge systems, and cultural resilience
- Strengthened relationships and mutual understanding between local and international creatives
- Outputs to be exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally via community screenings, film festivals, social media, and advocacy campaigns
- As a culmination, a final workshop will bring participants together to reflect on the journey, celebrate creative milestones, and identify next steps. The program team will actively support the reach of these stories, ensuring they resonate with local communities and global audiences alike.
Announcing new cohort
Indonesia Residency Program (2025)
Amplifying the Impact of Young Indigenous and local communities’ Narratives
A one-year immersive creative program that aims to foster collaboration between emerging storytellers and Indigenous communities throughout Indonesia, organized by If Not Us Then Who? in partnership with AMAN and with the support of the Land Tenure Facility. This initiative is designed to support local and Indigenous voices, amplify stories that often go unheard, and explore narratives centered on environmental justice, cultural identity, and community resilience. Offering an opportunity for selected participants to engage in personalized mentoring and financial support to co-create films and photography that reflect the lived experiences and priorities of their communities.
Why Indonesia?
Indonesia is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, both ecologically and culturally. Home to hundreds of Indigenous communities, the archipelago holds centuries of ancestral knowledge and rich storytelling traditions. However, rapid industrialization, deforestation, climate change, and the expansion of extractive industries continue to threaten these communities’ ways of life.
Despite their crucial role in protecting biodiversity and sustaining cultural heritage, Indigenous peoples often face marginalization and exclusion from mainstream media representation. Their stories are frequently simplified, misunderstood, or erased.
This residency aims to challenge that dynamic by equipping young Indigenous creatives with the tools, support, and ethical foundation to work in solidarity with their communities.
INUTW believes in the transformative power of storytelling. By centering Indigenous voices, we aim to reframe dominant narratives and help shift public discourse towards equity, justice, and sustainability. This Residency is a step toward building a global movement of community-rooted media makers in Indonesia.
Impact
The Residency Program creates a bridge, through storytelling, between Indigenous and Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America and Indonesia-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
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Paul Redman is an award winning documentary filmmaker whose work has involved directing, filming and editing a variety of films on a ra…
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Director, Lighting, Cameraman & Editor Nanang is Indonesia based Filmmaker. He belongs to Rejang people in Bengkulu, Sumatra. Start…
This Residency Program is supported by:
INUTW is partnering with AMAN, Tenure Facility and trusted local Indigenous organizations, cultural facilitators, and artists to co-design and implement this Residency. These collaborations ensure the program is culturally relevant and responsive to local needs, with mentors supporting participants’ creative work.
LATAM in-person Gathering – Cali 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.
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.
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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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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…
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 Program in Latin America was a reality thanks to the ongoing support of the Tenure Facility.
We continually collaborate to elevate 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 that connects the dreams and goals of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, protecting their land rights, and highlights stories of land rights, recognizes the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and preserves knowledge-sharing and deep conversations with ancestral knowledge in today’s climate discussions.
The Residency Team
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Lead at the Training Department at If Not Us Then Who (INUTW) Yurshell Rodríguez is an Environmental Engineer from the National Univer…
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Microgrants Program and Emerging Filmmakers Mentorship Program Coordinator Maria Luisa Santana is a communicator and cultural pr…
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Indonesia Residency Program Coordinator Annisa Sekar Sari is a dedicated communication specialist with over five years of experi…
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Director, Lighting, Cameraman & Editor Nanang is Indonesia based Filmmaker. He belongs to Rejang people in Bengkulu, Sumatra. Start…
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Profile
Paul Redman is an award winning documentary filmmaker whose work has involved directing, filming and editing a variety of films on a ra…
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Writer/Director Cuban filmmaker Aram Vidal began his career as a writer. He won the The Coral Horse award, Premio Nacional FEU prize an…s.
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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…
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.