https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO_T3CbEG_M
Tribal College Journal has announced that Michael R.L. Begay of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is the recipient of the 2019 TCJ Student Best Film Award for his original work, Lightning Boy. As part of the award, Begay will present Lightning Boy at the Pocahontas Reframed “Storytellers” Film Festival in Richmond, Virginia. But that's only the beginning for Begay, a member of Santo Domingo Pueblo and the Navajo Nation, who grew up as a city boy in Chicago.
He is currently attending IAIA where he is working on a BFA in cinematic arts and technology, with an emphasis on directing, editing, and photography direction. He is a graduate of both Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and Haskell Indian Nations University, where he earned a degree in media communications. A multidisciplinary artist, Begay has received numerous awards for his work in both film and art.
Not only has he traveled the world accepting awards but is involved at home where he and his partner Juliana Brown Eyes have started their own production company, "Tusweca" where they plan to bring technology into indigineous communities throughout not just New Mexico but the entire country.
Red Camera certified and drones in hand, this couple is taking the film world by storm and leading a new path to shine greater light on the realities of indigineous people through the art of filmmaking.
Julianna Brown Eyes is equally accomplished in her own right. Following a 9-year successful music career, she is now shifting gears to incorporate film into her life. Featured on the BBC and in Marie Claire, this Bill Gates Scholar is just as impassioned about her goals of sharing her knowledge with her communities and empowering them to create their own films from their own perspectives versus letting Hollywood lead the way.
The duo are a match made in heaven. Their production company Tuswecha - translated to mean "dragonfly" is stationed out of New Mexico, yet plans to offer its services internationally and connect indigenous communities across the globe. Having already completed projects in Belgium, Australia and Brazil, they are well on their way, yet are keeping their roots here to strengthen the foundational team.
Whether they are mentoring alongside industry leaders on documentaries or dramas, raising $30,000 to help provide technologies to indigenous communities in need, or jet-setting off to receive their next award, you can be certain - this won't be the last we'll be hearing from them. In fact, as the film world meets these dynamos, it's can only be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
For more on Juliana Brown Eyes, see link below:
https://www.jbrowneyes.com/press
Students interested in getting more involved, see link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLGrT7dfMxE