Produced by Voyager and Gnarly Bay and Directed by Diné/Navajo Filmmaker Fritz Bitsoie and Charles Frank, the short documentary film “Through The Storm” made its world premiere at Big Sky Film Festival in Missoula, MT on February 19th, securing the esteemed Artistic Vision Award.
“‘Through The Storm’ follows a team of charismatic underdogs in a reservation community where football makes a vital impact,” shares the Big Sky Film Festival Jury. “Sharp editing, a responsive score and a keen eye for character showcase how these young athletes and their coach draw strength and resilience from each other. The film beautifully portrays the trust held between contributors and filmmakers, and the power of time spent within the Red Lake Nation."
"Working on this film alongside Director Fritz Bitsoie, DP Leo Maco, Producer Emma Jackson, Editor Nico Frank and the entire Voyager and Gnarly Bay team has been an honor of a lifetime,” expresses Frank. “From the moment we arrived in Red Lake and met with Coach Nolan Desjarlait and members of the community, we were met with nothing but warmth and kindness. Winning this award is a testament to the magic and love we found and were able to capture in Red Lake."
The 23-minute short film follows the 2023 season of the Red Lake Nation (Ojibwe) high school football team in a reservation community where football holds significant importance. Despite dwindling interest and a two-decade-long losing record, a determined coach and group of young athletes fight to keep their football program alive. The film intimately explores the personal lives of the Red Lake community, authentically portraying the experiences of coming of age in the Ojibwe reservation.
“It was empowering to be a part of a team that fostered a supportive and respectful approach to the story, the land and its subjects throughout the production of this film, and it will be something that I will always cherish,” adds Bitsoie. “Getting to collaborate with this team to make a film that subverts the sports narrative was inspiring. I'm super proud of the team and the film we made."
The film made additional screenings at Willard Alternative High School on February 21st and the Missoula County Juvenile Detention Facility on the 22nd with plans to further engage in the festival circuit in the coming months. It will screen at the AmDocs Film Festival on March 21st, 2024.
Maxon September Release Introduces ZBrush For iPad and Boosts Precision and Control
Maxon, maker of powerful, user-friendly software that professionals use for 2D/3D design, 3D modeling, motion graphics, animation, filmmaking, digital sculpting, product and architectural visualization, editing, and rendering, today announced Maxon One 2025, including ZBrush for iPad. This release includes updates and enhancements to Cinema 4D, Redshift, Red Giant, and Cineware with a focus on streamlining workflows and boosting precision and control of tools and features used by product designers, video editors, and compositors, as well as motion graphics and VFX artists. And the wait is over for ZBrush for iPad! Created by artists for artists, ZBrush for iPad offers a fully reimagined user interface and touch-based controls without sacrificing the power and functionality of ZBrush for desktop. New users will love how easy it is to jump right into digital sculpting with Apple’s touch capabilities. Feature Highlights Include: ZBrush for iPad ZBrush for iPad is revolutionizing digital sculpting by making it possible to take the power of Academy Award-winning ZBrush on the go to sculpt, paint, and bring creations to life in real time anywhere with a reimagined, highly customizable UI; unrivaled brush system; and Apple’s pen- and touch-based capabilities! Expanding on the desktop version’s QuickMenu, ZBrush for iPad’s highly customizable user interface makes it easy to arrange sculpting tools for a more optimized, personal experience. And it’s also possible to customize the Apple Pencil double tap or... Read More