Accolades for Alaska's Drum Song Films

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alaskan production company Drum Song Films has released two Indigenous co-created projects on the film festival circuit: Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life and a companion piece music video of the documentary's title track, Reclamation.

This documentary was a co-production of knowledge between Indigenous Alaskans and Arctic Scientists, with support from Vera Kingeekuk Metcalf (Director, Eskimo Walrus Commission), Roberta Tuurraaq Glenn-Borade (Project Coordinator, Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub AAOKH), Margaret Anamaq Rudolf (Post-Doctoral Researcher), Haijo Eicken (Director, International Arctic Research Center IARC), Clifford Weyiouanna (Shishmaref Elder), Phillip Kilirnguq Blanchett (Pamyua), and Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer (Director of Climate Initiatives, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium ANTHC). The film premiered at the UNFCCC COP 28 private screening in the Cryosphere Pavilion.

Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life will be featured during the closing block of Greenpoint Film Festival, at the ELM Foundation | The Boiler - 191, N 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249 at 5 pm on August 11^th with a Q&A by Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer to follow.

The 50-minute documentary provides an Indigenous perspective on a widely relevant socio-political story, exploring the climate crisis through the experiences of Alaska's Indigenous peoples. It showcases how they combine ancestral knowledge and modern science to adapt to changing environmental conditions, including eroding lands and melting Arctic ice. The film's global impact reflects the growing demand for human rights, food sovereignty, and self-governance among politically conscious Indigenous communities worldwide. Native Alaskans demonstrate their ability to survive, adapt, and thrive, drawing on traditions that have sustained them for thousands of years.

The Official Music Video for Drum Song's title track, Reclamation, is an animated rock 'n' roll call to action for Indigenous peoples (and their allies) to protect their lands, waters, and peoples from the impacts of climate change and further industrial development.

Producer/Director Kelly Moneymaker says, "It has been my honor and privilege to return to my homeland and learn from the co-creators of Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life. Each stage of the research and filmmaking process has been and will continue to be led and approved by the local communities who've co-created it so we may lift the diversity of our voices and resound together."

Drum Song Films has garnered Awards of Excellence at the Accolade Global Film Competition for Short Documentary, Direction, and Music Video; Outstanding Excellence in Documentary, Direction, Cinematography, Original Song, Voiceover Talent, Viewer Impact: Inspiration, SFX: Animation at WRPN Women's International Film Festival (Delaware); Director, Woman Filmmaker, Cinematography in Nature Awards from Ecovision Global Film Festival (Sydney, AUS); Nominations for Direction and Documentary from Toronto International Women's Film Festival; and was an Official Selection at BlackStar Selects x Confluence at Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Arts and Sciences (Philadelphia).

For more information contact:
[email protected], https://drumsongfilmsllc.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drumsongfilms/
Facebook: @drumsongfilms; https://www.facebook.com/DrumSongFilms/
IMDb Pro: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm1110199?s=9ac7ff30-009f-1b5e-614f- 46baee6ea743&site_preference=normal 
Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life Short Trailer: https://vimeo.com/936006234?share=copy
Reclamation Trailer: https://vimeo.com/935641519

SOURCE Drum Song Films