Introduction
Sydney Freeland (born 1980) is a Navajo filmmaker. She wrote and directed the short film Hoverboard (2012) and Drunktown's Finest (2014), which garnered numerous acclaims after premiering at Sundance.
Early life
Freeland was born in Gallup, New Mexico, USA in 1980, to a Navajo father and a Scottish mother. She was raised on a Navajo reservation, and her hometown, Gallup, was dubbed “Drunktown.” Freeland attended Academy of Art University in San Francisco. 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.
Career
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. Freeland worked in a number of areas, including; The Food Network, Walt Disney, Comedy Central, and National Geographic.
Freeland directed a six-minute short, Hoverboard, utilizing Kickstarter to help fund the short. 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 is a coming-of-age story about the complex issues surrounding identity and the struggles faced by Native American people. 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. Freeland wrote, directed Drunktown's Finest as means to combat the negative stereotype of her home community. Freeland, who is herself a transgender woman, is also directing a digital series about queer and trans women called Her Story.
Filmography
- 2008: The Migration(Short) - director
- 2012: Hoverboard(Short) - producer, writer, director
- 2014: Drunktown's Finest - screenwriter, director
- "Sydney Freeland". IMDb.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Project | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland Independent Film Festivals | 2014 | Drunktown's Finest | Narrative Feature - Honorable Mention | Won |
| Heartland Film Festivals | 2014 | Drunktown's Finest | Narrative Feature | Won |
| L.A. Outfest | 2014 | Drunktown's Finest | Outstanding American Narrative Feature | Won |
| HBO Outstanding First Narrative Feature | Won | |||
| Albuquerque Film & Media Experience | 2014 | Drunktown's Finest | Best of New Mexico | Won |
| American Indian Film Festival | 2014 | Drunktown's Finest | Best Film | Won |
| Best Supporting Actress | Won | |||
| Best Actor | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Nominated |