Art as a catalyst
Film and digital media technologies are used as a platform for youth leadership development.
Between 2015 and 2022 the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe youth wrote the scripts for and directed six award winning films. Production included filming, sound recording, wardrobe design, makeup and acting the parts.
Topics covered serious social issues on their reservation, including teen suicide and substance abuse. The films have received attention from the Native American Affiliate of PBS, National Endowment for the Arts and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Currently, CROPS is working with Edgy Lee and Marc Cohen of Filmworks Pacific, Steve Roberts of Crescent Sun Pictures and Anthony Two Moons to produce a documentary named ‘Covid Recovery and Resiliency' for the US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.