Nanobah Becker
Nanobah Becker | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Diné |
| Alma mater | Brown University, B.A.; Columbia University, M.F.A. |
| Known for | Filmmaking, scriptwriting, directing |
| Notable work | The Sixth World, Conversion, Flat, I Lost My Shadow, Full |
| Style | Indigenous Futurisms |
Nanonah Becker is a Diné filmmaker from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who lives and works in Los Angeles, California (Tovaangar). Several of her short films have earned national awards, and her work has been collected and exhibited by major museums. Becker is particularly noted for her narrative focus on Indigenous futurism and work promoting Navajo language in film. Nanonah Becker is a citizen of the Navajo Nation.[1][2]
Education
Becker earned a B.A. in anthropology from Brown University in 1997 and an M.F.A. in film (concentration in screenwriting and directing) from Columbia University in 2006.[1]
Career
Nanonah Becker is best known as a filmmaker, both a screenwriter and director, of short films that explore Indigenous futurisms. Perhaps her best known short film is "The Sixth World," which aired as an episode of the PBS series, FutureStates, in 2012 (Season 3, Episode 6).[3] "The Sixth World" draws upon Navajo origin stories to imagine their positive impact on future cultures.[4] Becker's work is called out for its turn toward a version of science fiction that uplifts Indigenous values as a promising avenue for cultural development in future societies.[5] Disney/Pixar also worked with her as the dialog director for the Navajo language version of the film Finding Nemo.[6] Becker's work has been collected and exhibited by major museums, such as the Baltimore Museum of Art[7] and National Gallery of Canada.[6] More recently, Becker's short, "Landback, Waterback," premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2022.[8][9]
Awards
Becker has received special recognition and awards for her films "Flat," "Conversion," and "The Sixth World." She was a 2005 Sundance Ford Fellow, and the 2007 Sundance Film Festival selected her film, "Conversion." Her screenplay, "Full," won her a Rockefeller Foundation/RENEW Fellowship in Independent Film in 2006.[10] The ImagineNATIVE Film and Video festival honored her with Best Music Video for “I Lost My Shadow” in 2011,[6] and the International Cherokee Film Festival awarded Becker with Best Sci-Fi (Science Fiction Dramatic Short) for “The Sixth World” in 2012.[11]
References
- ^ a b "Nanobah Becker". Film Independent. 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hays, Tim (1 Oct 2002). "Nanobah Becker: Notes from the Conversation with a Founder of Navajo Cinema". Talking Stick Arts Quarterly. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
- ^ "FutureStates: The Sixth World". PBS. 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Medak-Saltzman, Danika (2017). "Coming to You from the Indigenous Future: Native Women, Speculative Film Shorts, and the Art of the Possible". Studies in American Indian Literatures. 29 (1): 139–71.
- ^ Estrada, Gabriel (2014). "Navajo Sci-Fi Film: Matriarchal Visual Sovereignty in Nanobah Becker's 'The 6th World.'". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 82 (2): 521–30. JSTOR 24488162.
- ^ a b c "Nanobah Becker". Juntos Art Association. 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Nanobah Becker". Baltimore Museum of Art. 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Indigenous Film Futures". Royal Anthropological Institute. 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Nanobah Becker". Kennedy Center. 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Filmmakers". Decolonizing Nature: Resistance | Resilience | Revitalization. 11 Apr 2025. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
- ^ "Nanobah Becker". Tribeca Film Institute. 1 Jan 2008. Retrieved 11 Apr 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)