Darlene Naponse

{{Short description|Canadian Anishinaabe filmmaker and activist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Darlene Naponse

| nationality = Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation, Canada

| occupation = Director, writer, filmmaker

| years_active = 2002–present

| notable_works = Falls Around Her
Stellar

}}

Darlene Naponse is an Anishinaabe filmmaker, writer, director, and community activist from Canada.[https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/falls-around-her-darlene-naponse-tantoo-cardinal-tiff-1.4818516 "Falls Around Her director talks about sharing Indigenous stories 'through our own voices'"]. CBC Indigenous, September 11, 2018. She is most noted for her 2018 film Falls Around Her, which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018 and subsequently won the Air Canada Audience Choice Award at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in October.[https://www.nsi-canada.ca/2018/10/darlene-naponses-falls-around-her-wins-imaginenative-audience-choice-award/ "Darlene Naponse's Falls Around Her wins imagineNATIVE audience choice award"]. National Screen Institute, October 26, 2018.

A member of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation near Sudbury, Ontario, she previously directed the short films Retrace (2002) and She Is Water (2010), and the feature films Cradlesong (2003) and Every Emotion Costs (2010).[https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/tiff-2018-indigenous-films-1.4798281 "TIFF 2018: CBC Indigenous lists 6 films to watch"]. CBC Indigenous, August 29, 2018. In 2017, she was a shortlisted Journey Prize finalist for her short story adaptation of "She Is Water".[https://quillandquire.com/awards/2017/09/13/sharon-bala-richard-kelly-kemick-darlene-naponse-make-journey-prize-shortlist/ "Sharon Bala, Richard Kelly Kemick, Darlene Naponse make Journey Prize shortlist"]. Quill & Quire, September 13, 2017.

She serves as a part-time faculty member in the Department of English at Laurentian University.{{Cite web |title=Laurentian University Department of English |url=https://laurentian.ca/dept/english/contact-us |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423201527/https://laurentian.ca/dept/english/contact-us |archive-date=2021-04-23 |access-date=April 23, 2021 |website=Laurentian.Ca}}

Her film Stellar went into production in 2021,Colleen Romaniuk, "Acclaimed filmmaker shooting Indigenous love story on Atikameksheng territory". Toronto Star, July 10, 2021. and premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.[https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2022/08/10/tanya-tagaq-doc-indigenous-romance-among-canadian-titles-added-to-tiff-slate.html "Tanya Tagaq doc, Indigenous romance among Canadian titles added to TIFF slate"]. Toronto Star, August 10, 2022.

Personal life and activism

Naponse was born and raised in the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation, northern Ontario.{{Cite web|title=Falls Around Her|url=https://rednationff.com/falls-around-her/|url-status=live|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=Red Nation International Film Festival|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302200926/https://www.rednationff.com/falls-around-her/ |archive-date=2021-03-02 }} Her upbringing of fishing, gathering, hunting, and connecting with the land and her community largely informs her art.{{Cite web|title=The Hnatyshyn Foundation: Programs / REVEAL - Indigenous Art Awards / Laureates|url=https://www.rjhf.com/programs/indigenousawards/2017/NAPONSE.php|url-status=live|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=RJHF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608144810/http://www.rjhf.com/programs/indigenousawards/2017/NAPONSE.php |archive-date=2017-06-08 }} She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English with a focus on film from Laurentian University, and received a First Nations Creative Writing Certificate from the En’owkin International School for Writing (University of Victoria). In 2015, she received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.{{Cite web|title=Writers' Trust of Canada|url=https://www.writerstrust.com/authors/darlene-naponse|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=Writers Trust}}

Within her community, she has worked to improve and develop governance strategies. She served as chair of a committee to work with community leaders and elders to write the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation Gchi-Naaknigewin (Constitution), which was ratified by the community in 2015.{{Cite news|title=Atikameksheng Anishnawbek announces a successful vote of the G'Chi-Naaknigewin|work=Anishinabek News|url=http://anishinabeknews.ca/2015/07/31/atikameksheng-anishnawbek-announces-a-successful-vote-of-the-gchi-naaknigewin/|access-date=April 23, 2021}} She continues to participate in First Nations governance and engage in environmental and human rights activism.

She owns Pine Needle Productions, which is a multi-media studio located in Atikameksheng Anishnawbek.