Cherokee Nation Commits $470,000 to Four-Year UCLA Film Partnership on Indigenous Storytelling and Language Preservation
The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television announced on October 19 that it has secured a $470,000 commitment from Cherokee Nation to launch a four-year collaboration focused on Indigenous storytelling, Cherokee-language preservation and the development of the next generation of filmmakers.
At the center of the partnership is an annual reciprocal exchange: Cherokee filmmakers and students will come to UCLA each year for a curated program with access to faculty and production resources, while UCLA students will travel to Cherokee Film's production facilities near Tulsa, Oklahoma, to work alongside its professionals. The two sides will also create original Cherokee-language films and educational media. The initiative is part of Picture Start, Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu's five-year initiative, with the long-term ambition of establishing a permanent Indigenous Media program at UCLA.
A ceremonial signing was held on October 17 in Riverside, California. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said language preservation is inseparable from cultural sovereignty, and that the partnership brings Cherokee voices and creative leadership to the forefront of an industry where Native people have too often been excluded. Much of the work will be guided by Joseph Erb, a Cherokee Nation citizen, filmmaker and newly appointed UCLA associate professor.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：切罗基族与加州大学洛杉矶分校戏剧、电影与电视学院合作签约合影。照片：切罗基族提供，经 UCLA 学院官网发布。/ Photo: Signing ceremony for the Cherokee Nation-UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television partnership. Photo courtesy of Cherokee Nation, via UCLA TFT.
