Doane Tulugaq Avery facts for kids

Doane Tulugaq Avery, born in 1979, is a filmmaker from Los Angeles. She is part of the Iñupiaq people, an Indigenous group from Alaska. Doane Avery makes movies that explore stories about culture, families, and how women and Indigenous people are shown in films. Her work helps to start important conversations in society.

Early Life and Education

Doane Avery grew up in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. In 2009, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts. She studied museum studies, which is about how to care for and display items in museums.

Later, in 2016, she completed her master's degree at the California Institute of the Arts. For her final project, she created a film called Polar Sun. This movie blended old Iñupiaq stories about the northern lights with family dramas. The film was shown at several places, including the Winnipeg Film Group. After finishing her education, she worked for non-profit organizations, like the Santa Fe Art Institute.

Doane Avery's Film Work

Doane Avery's films often tell stories that focus on women, diverse characters, and Indigenous people. Her 2018 film, Gently, Jennifer, is a story about two girls growing up in the 1980s. She received an award called the Jane Glassco Award to help produce this film.

Her movies have been shown at many film festivals around the world. These include the Seattle Film Festival, the Oaxaca Film Festival in Mexico, Outfest, and the Māoriland Film Festival in New Zealand. Her film, Mama Dragon, tells the story of a 40-year-old former Mormon woman who is also diverse in her identity. Doane Avery has said that she likes to explore "in-between spaces" in her work, which helps her find new ideas and understanding.

Awards and Special Honors

Doane Avery has received many awards and honors for her filmmaking. In 2016, she won the Jane Glassco Award from ImagineNative. She also received the Emerging Filmmaker Award from the L.A. SkinsFest.

She was given a special fellowship from the Sundance Institute. This was part of the IAIA Native Writers Workshop. Later, in 2021, she received another fellowship from the Sundance Institute's Native Directors Lab for her work on Mama Dragon. She was also named a fellow by the Barcid Foundation's Native American TV Writers Lab. In 2021, she received a fellowship from the Native American Showrunner Program. This program is supported by companies like WarnerMedia, the Cherokee Film Office, Bad Robot, and Comcast NBC Universal.