Intensive film production workshop set for Nov. 30 in Harlem

MAPS Media Institute will be running a free intensive four-day filmmaking workshop for young people in the Harlem area and beyond starting Nov. 30, with the goal of creating informative short films about the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Compact of 2001 and its 2023 Settlement Act.

Former Harlem teacher and MAPS Media Institute Fort Belknap Liaison Craig Todd said the workshop is primarily for high school-age students in the Harlem area, but college-age students and people from outside the Harlem area of any skill level are welcome at the workshop, which will cover everything from interviewing and audio production to lighting and camera operation.

Todd said the workshop aims to cover all aspects of filmmaking and build students skills, but more than that he hopes it will build their confidence, confidence that they can branch out into new topics and make an impact with their work.

“In all the films that we’ve done before, I’ve had kids say, ‘This has changed my life,’” he said. “It’s not just the technical side, but the confidence.”

He said he wants to get students out of their comfort zone, and respond to new challenges, not by saying they don’t know how to do something, but by learning how to do it.

Todd said MAPS Media Institute, which has been providing free media arts education for almost 20 years, has been an incredibly successful venture, having produced media that has been nominated for national-level awards.

“It’s been a highly successful program,” he said.

As for the subject matter of the workshop, Todd said, compact is a complex multifaceted issue, and there is a lot of different ideas and opinions out there about its merits and downsides, and this workshop is designed to create a series of non-biased informational videos to get people up to speed on the bill.

The stated goal of the compact, having been worked on for more than two decades at the local, state and federal levels, is to ensure a steady supply of water to Fort Belknap and establish general water rights.

Proponents of the compact say it will provide resources for critical water infrastructure development like the completion of the Milk River Project, provide more security for irrigators and restore Fort Belknap Indian Community lands to federal trust, ensuring their preservation.

Todd said it’s an important thing for people to be informed about regardless of where they stand on it and he hopes the fruit of their labor is helpful to people in Fort Belknap.

The workshop will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 158 Tribal Way, Suite B, Harlem.

A press release about the event said high school students who need to finish class can attend after school is done.

Todd said the outcome of these workshops will be posted on the Milk River Productions’ Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/milkriverproductions/ .