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Navigating Friendship and the Wild: A Test of Bonds on an Alaskan Adventure
NextFound Artist
November 14, 2024
🎬 The Weekly Reel:
You can catch this and other amazing films at NextFoundArtist.
RELEASE THIS WEEK:
Sand Dunes
Directors: Tiana Marenah
Alaskan teenagers Nina and Crystal grapple with their friendship when circumstances force them on a trip across the last frontier.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the film?
A: Sand Dunes came out of my experience growing up as a black woman in Anchorage, Alaska. The film functions as a mix of fairytale and western as it traverses the swan song of a relationship between two teenagers. The films main characters, Nina and Crystal are contemporary urban youth in Alaska who desire to leave small-town life behind. The film seeks to subvert genre norms by exploring nuances between race and sex. The film also explores relationship dynamics by grappling with two friends whose paths are beginning to go in two different directions. Although the main protagonist is Nina, Sand Dunes is really a dual-narrative. Traversing the emotions of best friends in increasingly uncomfortable situations. The idea for Sand Dunes camel from my experiences, growing up in Alaska. I wrote the film to provide perspective into a small part of what Alaska is like for the youth growing up there. I chose to shoot in the Alaskan summer to provide a contrast to what many people perceive Alaska to be; cold, dark and isolated. We spent time filming in places such as Denali National Park and Earthquake Park. I took great care to bring the audience into the places I felt were memorable and unique to an audience. Needless to say Sand Dunes has been my most challenging project to date. There were bears, moose, and sand-storms to contend with. Scenes were lost, re-shoots were done. All of the challenges have bonded me with this project in a completely unique way. Going to film school in Southeast Asia I never lost sight of how important Alaska was to my storytelling journey. Sand Dunes is a film that contends with the last frontier as a subject while the principal characters embark on a journey across a large stretch of the state. But, more than anything it is a story about relationships. How they change, and how we evolve as as individuals, within and beyond them.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: The Graduate
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Resources:
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Upcoming Event:
Get ready for the Urbanworld Festival, happening November 13-17, 2024! This five-day event showcases diverse storytelling with film premieres and an Innovation Summit featuring industry leaders. Supported by HBO and Warner Bros., it’s a must-attend celebration of creativity. Visit urbanworld.org for more details! 20% DISCOUNT CODE: NFAUW2420
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