2019 Festival

Award Winners

1st Place in Adult Category
Hair Tells the Weather
by Cherylee Francis
$300

2nd Place in Adult Category
Silly Billy Diné: Na’niłkaadí
(Silly Billy Diné: Sheepherder)
by Benford Beco Begay
$200

3rd Place in Adult Category
First Lessons
by Luke Hunt
$100

Honorable Mention
Nádleehí (Two Spirit)
by Kymon Palau
$25

Honorable Mention
This Is Me
by Danilo Paiva
$25

Honorable Mention
Dinee’ Hallmarks
by Ashem Dayea
$25

Honorable Mention
Na’ich’aah e’i’ iina’ (Art is Life)
by Matthew Livingston
$25

Audience Choice
Hair Tells the Weather
by Cherylee Francis
$100

Youth Category
n/a

Special Screenings

Legends from the Sky (excerpt) by Travis Hamilton

Lightning Boy by Michael Begay

Master of Ceremonies

Chizz Bah
Chizz Bah is born of the Yucca Fruit and Edge Water clan. “Chizz Bah” is an original expression that refers to the roughness of skin, which is what one is raised to be on the Dine’ reservation, and the wisdom that comes with life. Her unique style of mixing the Navajo language and culture with a Westernized upbringing creates laughter to all engaged in this epic world. Chizz Bah is a single parent of 3 beautiful children. She presently resides in Farmington, New Mexico.

Judges

Arthur Allison
Art is Áshįįhí (Salt Clan) born for Tl’ogi (Zia Clan). A longtime small business owner, he is the former Chairman of the Diné Development Corporation and he was the first Navajo to head New Mexico’s Indian Affairs Department.

Loren Anthony
Loren is Naaneesht’ézhí, born for Mą’ii deeshgiizhnii. His work as an actor includes Voice from an Unmarked Grave. He has also worked with the Juvenile Substance Abuse Crisis Center and is the founder of community organizations, including Chizh for Cheii, Youth Warrior Camp, Iron Warriors, and Community Warrior Project.

Tina Deschenie
Tina is Ta’neeszahnii, born for Tó’aheedlíini. She is a Navajo educator and writer. She is the former Associate Dean of Navajo Technical University, after which she went to lead Dream Diné Charter School, a school in Shiprock known for its Navajo language immersion program. Her work has been published in the New Mexico Magazine, Native Peoples, and NM Woman.

Courtney Dilmore
Courtney is a Navajo performer of the arts. She started out working in television doing background for shows like Longmire. This led to featured roles alongside Michael Douglas and Jeremy Irvine. She graduated with a degree in theatre arts from Utah Valley University, where she studied acting, script writing, and film.

Sahar Khadjenoury
Sahar has worked in film and television for both indigenous and non-indigenous production companies, including Adobe, Microsoft, and FNX (First Nations Experience) TV. She is currently co-producing a documentary film. She studied film at the University of Utah and is a member of the Native American Journalist Association (NAJA) and Honor Society.