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Sydney Freeland

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Sydney Freeland
Born (1980-10-10) October 10, 1980 (age 44)
Gallup, New Mexico, U.S.
EducationAcademy of Art University, San Francisco
Occupation(s)Director
Screenwriter
Known forDrunktown's Finest

Sydney Freeland (born October 10, 1980) is a Native American (Navajo) filmmaker. She wrote and directed the short film Hoverboard (2012) and the film Drunktown's Finest (2014), which garnered numerous acclaims after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.[1] Her second film, Deidra and Laney Rob a Train, debuted at Sundance and was released on Netflix in 2017;[2] her third, Rez Ball, appeared in 2024.

Early life

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Freeland was born in Gallup, New Mexico, United States in 1980 to a Navajo father and a Scottish mother, and she was raised on a Navajo reservation. Freeland attended Academy of Art University in San Francisco.[3] She is a 2004 Fulbright scholar, focusing her scholarship on a field study of indigenous peoples in Ecuador. She has a Master of Fine Arts in film, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in computer animation. Freeland is a 2007 Disney Scholarship recipient and a 2008 Disney Fellowship semifinalist. Freeland is also a 2009 Sundance Institute Native Lab fellow.[3][4]

Career

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Prior to making her first feature-length film, Drunktown's Finest, Freeland previously worked as a production assistant, as a writer and as a camera intern.[5] Freeland worked for a number of different media companies, including The Food Network, Walt Disney, Comedy Central, and National Geographic.[6] Freeland directed a six-minute short, Hoverboard, utilizing Kickstarter to help fund the short.[7] The film was inspired by Back to the Future Part II. Drunktown's Finest is her second venture into filmmaking. The 95-minute-long film[8] is a coming-of-age story about the complex issues surrounding identity and the struggles faced by Native American people.[8][9] The film's name is inspired by a controversial 20/20 segment on ABC News, which branded the town of Gallup, New Mexico as "Drunk Town, USA", after the increase of instances of alcoholism on the border of the Navajo Nation.[10] Freeland wrote and directed Drunktown's Finest as a way to combat negative stereotypes of her home community.[8] Freeland, who is herself a transgender woman, also directed a digital series about queer and trans women called Her Story.[11] The series was nominated for the newly created Emmy Award category of Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama.[12]

In 2014 Freeland was named a United States Artists (USA) Fellow.[13]

On March 19, 2022, Freeland joined as a director for the upcoming superhero streaming series Echo for Disney+.[14] In 2022, she was included in the Fast Company Queer 50 list.[15]

Filmography

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Awards and nominations

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Award Year Project Category Result
Ashland Independent Film Festivals 2014 Drunktown's Finest Narrative Feature - Honorable Mention[19] Won
Heartland Film Festivals 2014 Drunktown's Finest Narrative Feature[20] Won
L.A. Outfest 2014 Drunktown's Finest Outstanding American Narrative Feature[21] Won
HBO Outstanding First Narrative Feature[21] Won
Albuquerque Film & Media Experience 2014 Drunktown's Finest Best of New Mexico[22] Won
American Indian Film Festival 2014 Drunktown's Finest Best Film[23] Won
Best Supporting Actress[23] Won
Best Actor[24] Nominated
Best Director[24] Nominated
Best Actress[24] Nominated
Best Actor[24] Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards 2016 Her Story Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series[25] Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sciortino, Karley (19 February 2015). "Why You Should See Drunktown's Finest This Weekend". Vogue. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. ^ Linden, Sheri (1 February 2017). "'Deidra & Laney Rob a Train': Film Review, Sundance 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Academy of Art University Alumni". Academy of Art University. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  4. ^ Silverstein, Melissa. "Sundance Women Directors: Meet Sydney Freeland". Women and Hollywood. Indiewire. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  5. ^ Gatewood, Tara. "Shifting Views with Drunktown's Finest". Native Peoples. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Hoverboard". PBS Online Film Festival. PBS. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  7. ^ Freeland, Sydney. "Hoverboard". Kickstarter. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "Shifting Views with Drunktown's Finest". nativepeoples.com.
  9. ^ "Director Sydney Freeland Discusses Drunktown's Finest - Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. 23 January 2014.
  10. ^ Brodeur, Paul. "Combating Alcohol Abuse in Northwestern New Mexico: Gallup's Fighting Back and Healthy Nations Programs". Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
  11. ^ Jusino, Teresa (9 September 2015). "Interview: Her Story Director Sydney Freeland on Trans People Telling Trans Stories". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  12. ^ Brighe, Mari (31 July 2016). "The Emmy-Nominated Trans Web Series Her Story Could Change Everything". The Advocate. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  13. ^ "United States Artists » Sydney Freeland". Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  14. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (March 19, 2022). "Marvel's Echo Adds Reservation Dogs Director". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "Sydney Freeland is No. 41 on the 2022 Fast Company Queer 50 list". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  16. ^ "Sydney Freeland". IMDb.
  17. ^ "Sydney Freeland". IMDb.
  18. ^ From the Heathers series page on HBO Nordic streaming service.
  19. ^ "Winners announced at AIFF awards celebration". mailtribune.com.
  20. ^ heartlandfilm. "2014 Heartland Film Festival Announces Grand Prize Winners, Awards Over $115,000 to Independent Filmmakers". Heartland Film.
  21. ^ a b "2014 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES AWARDS". Outfest. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  22. ^ "AFME 2014 Award Winners". abqfilmx.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-28. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  23. ^ a b "'Drunktown' and 'Rhymes' Rule American Indian Film Festival Awards". Indian Country Today Media Network.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  24. ^ a b c d "American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show". aifisf.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-03.
  25. ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
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