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Shaelyn Johnston

Filmmaker

Jun 2, 2026

5:55
world."And what was your second project?
5:58
Yeah, the second project.
5:59
[laughs] So my second project, Anishinaabe Mowin, uh, actually just wrapped its circuit on the film festival, and that is another story rooted in my Anishinaabe culture, and it's about a young girl who is learning to speak the Ojibwe language.
6:14
So again, like I said, I, I didn't grow up speaking the language.
6:18
It was about, again, rooted in my own experiences of learning how to speak and pick up on words and really understand what it is that I was saying, and it was also rooted in my experiences of what I remember from my maternal grandmother passing away when I was young.
6:35
So the two sort of intertwine together into this really beautiful story about this young girl who wants to surprise her grandmother with how much of the language that she's learned.
6:44
And again, I had maintained that relationship with my language teacher, uh, her name's Monica Benson, and again, I asked her if she wanted to come on board and help me with the language.

8 MINS LATER

14:52
So Shailen, how can creators approach indigenous storytelling in a way that's thoughtful, ethical, and grounded in respect?

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