'Dark Winds' actor helps First Nations students get into film industry through college course

Wearing a jerk vest and readyto be pulled through the air on ropes for a stunts course, Dan McMastereagerly volunteers to go first. They've been the first to volunteer for every class exercise over the past three months.

"I wanted to get everything that I could out of it. Whatever it is, anytime anybody needs a volunteer, go first," McMaster said.

McMaster is one of 15 students in the Counting Coup Indigenous Film Academy at Old Sun Community College inSiksika Nation, southeast of Calgary. The program started in June and has been training members of the Siksika Nation between 18 and 30-years-old the basics of film production, acting and stunt work.

Actor Jessica Matten co-founded the program with some fellow film industry professionals. She's offered the course to Indigenous youth for years in various forms, but this is the first time it's been done aspart of post-secondary curriculum. Over the course of the summer, she's invited multiple guests to speak to the class, including makeup artists, directors and wardrobe stylists.

Matten said she wants to empower Indigenous youth to work in the film industry and "be the leaders of the community."

"I'm always going to be there when I can, as present as I can, but really my goal is to pass the torch onto them," she said.

Matten, who is of Red River Mtis-Creedescent and fromtheMtisNation,has been in the TVand film industry for 20 years.She's playedroles in TV shows like Tribal, Frontierstarring Jason Momoaand Blackstone.She currently stars in Dark Windson AMC, which is produced by Robert Redford and George R. R. Martin.

After finishing the program, the students will be accredited with the Directors Guild of Canadaand certified with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents film and theatre production workers around the world.

'Everybody works together, everybody has a role'

Susan Solway, chairperson of Old Sun Community College and councillor for Siksika Nation,said the film academy was originally supposed to be a two-week pilot program, but it quickly flourished into a three-month course. Now,Solway said she'dlike to see it continue.

"The amount of technical aspects they learned and experienced here really helped them growwithin themselves and hopefully now they'll be able to see themselves in these roles, whether that's working in the industry or creating their own," Solway said.

McMaster certainly sees a future for themself in film. Theysaid the course came to them at the right time. When startingthe program, McMaster was in the early months of recovery from alcohol addiction after losing their mother three years ago.

"I was really, you know, not really going anywhere. And to be honest, I spent a lot of years wanting to die because my mom was dead and so I wanted to be dead too,"McMaster said.

Above everything they've learned,McMaster said connectingfilm production work to their culture has been the biggest lesson.

"Filmmaking is just a lot like living like a Blackfoot. Everybody works together, everybody has a role, everybody helps everybody," they said.

McMasterwill graduate the program with their classmates on Monday, and next summer,they plan to make a full-length documentary with some friends aboutliving a traditional Blackfoot way of life.

"It's put me on a path now.... I have stories that need to be told and this is the best way to tell them."