In late October 2024, I will travel to the Solomon Islands to facilitate the first-ever Native Lens Film Festival Filmmaker Lab. This is particularly special because I get to go back to my island home to support new and emerging filmmakers to tell their stories.
I am collaborating with two truly phenomenal women, twin sisters Regina Lepping and Georgianna Lepping, founders of NLFF. I first met them many years ago and Regina was part of a film project I co-produced called Wantok Stori in 2012. She then starred in our short film BLACKBIRD in 2015.
CUT TO… 12 YEARS LATER, it’s a dream to be able to run this Filmmaker Lab with them. It’s grassroots, it’s community-led and it will (hopefully) be a pilot program for years to come.
The NLFF Filmmaker Lab will consist of filmmaking workshops, screenings, discussions and opportunities to develop participants’ story ideas and film projects.
Applications are in and our participants are ready for our first-ever Native Lens Film Festival Filmmaker Lab 28-30 October.
Thanks to some wonderful supporters who are helping to make this happen. It’s a truly powerful thing when community comes together in this heart-led, grassroots kind of way.
Shout out to media arts non-profit Pacific Islanders in Communication for coming on board to elevate this first iteration of the lab.
Stay tuned. Tagio tumas! 
