Art Chowder January | February, Issue 25 | Page 62

“T he SAGA grant gave us the ability to get started, and it gave us the courage to approach the Spokane and Kalispel tribes and ask for their help,” said Abrahamson. “It also gave them a reason to take us seriously,” resulting in both tribes contributing grants toward finishing and releasing the film. From the beginning, the filmmakers knew that one of their biggest goals was to get the film accepted to a respected film festival. Their hard work was rewarded when Red Road was accepted into Skins Fest, the biggest Native American film festival in the country. It screened at the 2018 festival in Los Angeles during Native American Heritage month. Screening the film at a prominent festival “showed us that the film entertained the audience we intended it to,” Abrahamson said. The filmmakers also held a local screening and Q&A at the Garland Theater, which saw a strong turnout and positive audience feedback. In terms of what’s next for the filmmakers, Abrahamson points out that some of the work they’re doing now was a direct result of being awarded the SAGA grant and making Red Road. After finishing the feature film, Counting Coup Media was immediately hired to create short films for Camas Path’s new campaign, and because they did well on that project, they were also asked to run a two-week video camp in the summer of 2019. 62 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE