Who we are
This is a grassroots organization, spawned from the dedicated work local community members have contributed. Continuously learning how to be responsible land/water stewards, activists, storytellers, and good relatives/ancestors
Our Team
Falcon Gott
Director | Cinematographer | Editor
Falcon Gott, a member of the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, is an emerging filmmaker. Falcon’s fascination with cinema began at a young age, and it wouldn’t be until his high school years where he would eventually pick up a camera and start filming his friends perform tricks at the local skatepark. He would later graduate from Minnesota State University of Moorhead with a Bachelor’s of Art in Film Production in 2015.
Shortly after graduation, Falcon would intern, then eventually work alongside the Director of the Native American Artists Program at Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND. Here, he would direct, shoot, and edit short documentaries of the various Native American artists that have come through the program from 2016-2020.
As a filmmaker who is Native American, Falcon aspires to create stories which represent Native Americans in ways that challenge long lasting negative stereotypes. Through creating such stories, Falcon hopes to not only educate, but also highlight how unique and diverse the Native American culture is.
Annie Follett
Producer | Writer
As a Media Artist for over three decades, I have worn just about every hat imaginable on both independent documentaries and narrative productions. I have worked collaboratively with Iris Video, with Oakfolk Films, and now with the Bde Psin Film Collective. As a freelance Camera Operator and Camera Assistant for over ten years, my clients included CBS Films, BBC Films, Paisley Park Studios, TPT television, many non-profits, independent filmmakers, and commercial film studios. I have an MFA in Screenwriting from Hollins University, and have taught film and video production and editing to many aspiring filmmakers. I bring experience to the collective (for what it's worth), an open heart and mind, and a passion to highlight the voices and actions of those who love and honor this beautiful planet we all share.
Nicole Cavender
Producer | Co-Director
Part Dakota, her maternal family is Sisseton/Wahpeton and from Pezihutazizi Otunwe (Yellow Medicine Community) in SW Mini Sota Makoce (Minnesota). Nicole networks. Finding ways to be helpful is a powerful way to connect with and learn about people and their stories. From that passion of bringing people together, and helping in any possible way brought her to this project.
David Dietz
Technical & Production Director | Producer
Years on the grind as a freelance film maker, David brings video production knowledge and grit to the team. He has worked on hundreds of productions for some of the largest brands in the world, as well as numerous artistic/passion projects (music videos, short films, live events).
Sean Connaughty
Site Steward | Consultant
Sean Connaughty is an artist and teacher living in South Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He is the chair and co-founder of the collective Friends of Lake Hiawatha. His socially engaged art projects and exhibitions mitigate anthropogenic impacts on the local and global ecology. He uses public art as a catalyst to foster reciprocity by working with communities and the agencies governing our public spaces and infrastructures. Connaughty received a 2017 Forecast Public Art development grant for his Lake Hiawatha Visioning Project, a 2018 McKnight fellowship, and an 2013 Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board for the Ark of the Anthropocene. He is a graduate of both MCAD and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Connaughty is a lecturer in the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.