A Vernon creator is receiving funds to create a film project as part of the second Telus Storyhive Indigenous Storyteller series.
Mariel Belanger will receive $20,000 in production funding to create the project, along with training, mentorship and distribution on Telus Optik TV.
Belanger is one of 30 emerging Indigenous content creators selected for this year’s Storyhive Indigenous Storyteller Edition.
Storyhive’s partners, the Indigenous Screen Office and Creative BC, will also be providing top up funding of $3,000 towards each project.
Belanger is the creative mind behind the short film Wild Horses Brought Her Home, which tells the story of a young Syilx woman who leaves the reservation in search of a deeper meaning to her life when her journey is halted by the White Rock Lake wildfire, which threatens her home and her new spirited equine friends.
The Indigenous Storyteller Edition is designed to empower and support Indigenous storytellers in B.C. and Alberta, while helping to tell diverse stories from communities that have historically been underrepresented and excluded from the film industry.
This edition is guided by an Indigenous Advisory Committee.
Storyhive partnered and collaborated with Indigenous filmmakers and community members to make its selection of the 30 Indigenous storytellers.
Since 2013, Telus Storyhive has supported a community of more than 18,000 content creators across B.C. and Alberta, providing more than $15 million in production funding and creating a safe space for storytellers to hone their skills and bring their passion projects to life.
READ MORE: Film shot entirely in Vernon breaks through
READ MORE: Frights galore during Field of Screams at Spallumcheen ranch