OWASSO, Okla — The Cherokee Nation rolled out the Cherokee Film Institute this year, to help further emphasize the importance of Native American representation in film.
2 News Oklahoma's Isabel Flores spoke to Brettlyn Bevenue, the Program Manager for the institute.
"Cherokee Film Institute is the workforce development arm of the Cherokee film ecosystem," she said. "We exist to train anyone who's looking to get into the film industry as it's growing here in Cherokee nation and beyond."
The CFI has rolled out its "Introduction to Industry" courses that aim to give students a basic level of understanding of the film industry.
The course takes place over five days, with students putting in the work for eight hours each day.
Branden Hart is one of 25 current students taking part in the crash-course.
He said while he has studied film before, he's never had an experience quite like this.
“We’re going to get we're going to get hands-on with camera," said Hart. "We're going to get hands-on with location scouting and also some hands-on real-world experience in the production office.”
He also said he is honored to be able to represent his Native community.
“I’m getting instruction on how we can implement the true narrative of the Indigenous community here in Oklahoma and around the world," he said. "How we can tell the true stories about our communities, what we’re going through.”
Brettlyn Bevenue echoed the sentiment.
“Historically, Native American representation has existed at about 1% in Hollywood," she said. "And that's a huge problem when it comes to seeing yourself and your community on screen."
She said her biggest goal is to make sure students are ready to enter the workforce and carry along the mission of celebrating diversity.
“We want to make sure that people are prepared for their first jobs when they are looking at getting into the industry,” said Bevenue.
For more information on the CFI and how to apply for classes, visit the institute's website here.
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