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Sydney Freeland

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Sydney Freeland
Born (1980-10-29) October 29, 1980 (age 44)
Gallup, New Mexico, United States
EducationAcademy of Art University, San Francisco
Occupation(s)Director
Screenwriter
Known forDrunktown's Finest

Sydney Freeland (born 1980) is a Navajo filmmaker. She wrote and directed the short film Hoverboard (2012) and Drunktown's Finest (2014), which garnered numerous acclaims after premiering at Sundance.[1]

Early life

Freeland was born in Gallup, New Mexico, USA in 1980, to a Navajo father and a Scottish mother. She was raised on a Navajo reservation, and her hometown, Gallup, was dubbed “Drunktown.” Freeland attended Academy of Art University in San Francisco.[2] She is a 2004 Fulbright scholar, focusing her scholarship on a field study of indigenous peoples in Ecuador. She has a Master of Fine Arts in film, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in computer animation. Freeland is a 2007 Disney Scholarship recipient and a 2008 Disney Fellowship semifinalist. Freeland is also a 2009 Sundance Institute Native Lab fellow.[2][3]

Career

Prior to making her first feature-length film, Drunktown's Finest, Freeland previously worked as a production assistant, as a writer and as a camera intern.[4] Freeland worked in a number of areas, including; The Food Network, Walt Disney, Comedy Central, and National Geographic.[5] Freeland directed a six-minute short, Hoverboard, utilizing Kickstarter to help fund the short.[6] The film was inspired by Back to the Future Part II. Drunktown's Finest is her second venture into filmmaking. The 95 minute long film[7] is a coming-of-age story about the complex issues surrounding identity and the struggles faced by Native American people.[7][8] The film's name is inspired by a controversial 20/20 segment on ABC News, which branded the town of Gallup, New Mexico as "Drunk Town, USA", after the increase of instances of alcoholism on the border of the Navajo Nation.[9] Freeland wrote, directed Drunktown's Finest as means to combat the negative stereotype of her home community.[7] Freeland, who is herself a transgender woman, also directed a digital series about queer and trans women called Her Story.[10] The series was nominated for the newly-created Emmy Award category of Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama.[11]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Award Year Project Category Result
Ashland Independent Film Festivals 2014 Drunktown's Finest Narrative Feature - Honorable Mention[14] Won
Heartland Film Festivals 2014 Drunktown's Finest Narrative Feature[15] Won
L.A. Outfest 2014 Drunktown's Finest Outstanding American Narrative Feature[16] Won
HBO Outstanding First Narrative Feature[16] Won
Albuquerque Film & Media Experience 2014 Drunktown's Finest Best of New Mexico[17] Won
American Indian Film Festival 2014 Drunktown's Finest Best Film[18] Won
Best Supporting Actress[18] Won
Best Actor[19] Nominated
Best Director[19] Nominated
Best Actress[19] Nominated
Best Actor[19] Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards 2016 Her Story Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series[20] Nominated

References

  1. ^ Sciortino, Karley (19 February 2015). "Why You Should See Drunktown's Finest This Weekend". Vogue. Vogue. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Academy of Art University Alumni". Academy of Art University. Academy of Art University. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  3. ^ Silverstein, Melissa. "Sundance Women Directors: Meet Sydney Freeland". Women and Hollywood. Indiewire. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  4. ^ name ="gatewood">Gatewood, Tara. "Shifting Views with Drunktown's Finest". Native Peoples. Native Peoples Magazine. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Hoverboard". PBS Online Film Festival. PBS. Retrieved 5 April 2015. {{cite web}}: |first1= missing |last1= (help)
  6. ^ Freeland, Sydney. "Hoverboard". Kickstarter. Kickstarter. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Shifting Views with Drunktown's Finest". nativepeoples.com.
  8. ^ "Director Sydney Freeland Discusses Drunktown's Finest - Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine.
  9. ^ Brodeur, Paul. "Combating Alcohol Abuse in Northwestern New Mexico: Gallup's Fighting Back and Healthy Nations Programs". Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
  10. ^ Jusino, Teresa. "Interview: Her Story Director Sydney Freeland on Trans People Telling Trans Stories". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  11. ^ Brighe, Mari. "The Emmy-Nominated Trans Web Series Her Story Could Change Everything". The Advocate. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Sydney Freeland". IMDb.
  13. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2978148/
  14. ^ "Winners announced at AIFF awards celebration". mailtribune.com.
  15. ^ heartlandfilm. "2014 Heartland Film Festival Announces Grand Prize Winners, Awards Over $115,000 to Independent Filmmakers". Heartland Film.
  16. ^ a b "2014 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES AWARDS". Outfest.
  17. ^ "AFME 2014 Award Winners". abqfilmx.com.
  18. ^ a b "'Drunktown' and 'Rhymes' Rule American Indian Film Festival Awards". Indian Country Today Media Network.com.
  19. ^ a b c d "American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show". aifisf.com.
  20. ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
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