Sundance Institute Announces Marja Bål Nango As 2021 Merata Mita Fellow

Sundance Institute today announced Marja Bål Nango (Sámi) as the 2021 recipient of the Merata Mita Fellowship, an annual fellowship named in honor of the late Māori filmmaker Merata Mita (1942-2010). The announcement was delivered today at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival's Native Forum Celebration by N. Bird Runningwater (Cheyenne/Mescalero Apache), director of the Sundance Institute's Indigenous Program and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work.

Sundance Institute selected Marja Bål Nango from a global pool of applicants, and will be awarded cash grants and a yearlong continuum of support with activities, including a participation in the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, access to strategic and creative services throughout the year offered by the Institute's artist programs, and ongoing mentorship opportunities.

Marja Bål Nango is a film director, screenwriter and producer. She has studied directing at Nordland College of Art and Film and producing at a collaborative program between International Sámi Film Institute and Sámi University. She wrote, directed and produced the short film "Hilbes biigá," which has screened at nearly 30 film festivals, and won the UR Award for Best Film at the Uppsala Int Film Festival, and the Skårungen-award at Tromsø International Film Festival. Her latest short film, "The Tongues," follows a woman's psychological aftermath as she fights for spiritual survival after being raped in a snowstorm on a mountain. The film has been a success worldwide, winning four awards, three of them at Oscar Qualifying Film Festivals. Marja and co-writer Ingir Bål are now developing their first feature film together, "I love my Reindeerherder."

"This annual fellowship celebrates and honors the immense artistic contributions and memory of our beloved Sundance Institute colleague and friend Merata Mita, who was a mother, an activist, a documentarian and the first Indigenous woman to solely write, direct, and produce a dramatic feature film," said Runningwater. "The fellowship is a testament to her influence on our global commitment to supporting Indigenous artists, which we see as even more important especially during these most challenging of times."

"The selection of Marja Bål Nango as the 2021 recipient reflects everything that Merata possessed during her life - unparalleled talent, keen artistic vision, and lifelong creative and artistic passion for her film work," said Runningwater.

Merata Mita (Ngāi Te Rangi/Ngāti Pikiao) served as an advisor and artistic director of the Sundance Institute Native Lab from 2000 to 2009, where she championed emerging Indigenous talent who have gone on to have impactful careers, such as Sterlin Harjo (Creek/Seminole Nations), Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Inupiaq); Sydney Freeland (Navajo), and Taika Waititi (Te Whanau a Apanui).

The Merata Mita Fellowship is supported by the New Zealand Film Commission, Indigenous Media Initiatives, Felix Culpa, Sarah Luther, Susan Shilliday, and an anonymous donor.

The Indigenous Program champions Indigenous independent storytelling artists through residency Labs, Fellowships, public programming, and a year-round continuum of creative, financial, and tactical support. The Program conducts outreach and education to identify a new generation of Indigenous voices, connecting them with opportunities to develop their storytelling projects, and bringing them and their work back to Indigenous lands. At its core, the Program seeks to inspire self-determination among Indigenous filmmakers and communities by centering Indigenous people in telling their own stories.

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