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Almost an Island

Documentary | Jonathan VanBallenberghe

  • SYNOPSIS
ALMOST AN ISLAND is a cinematic portrait of the Goodwins, an Inupiaq family living above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska. Through observing three generations of one family over the course of four years, ALMOST AN ISLAND explores what it means to be indigenous in the dramatically changing Arctic.
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57 minutes

Release: November 2, 2021

Expiration: November 1, 2024

Distributor: APT

NOLA: ALMN 000 Base Revision 001

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Jonathan VanBallenberghe

Director/Cinematographer
JONATHAN VANBALLENBERGHE​ is a documentary filmmaker raised in Juneau, Alaska, and now based in Tucson, Arizona. His films have screened at festivals including SXSW, Tribeca (Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Short), the American Conservation Film Festival, and the Arizona International Film Festival (three-time winner of Best of Arizona).

Sharon Wahl

Producer/Writer
SHARON WAHL is a documentary film producer and award-winning fiction writer. In 2005, she and Jonathan VanBallenberghe started Open Lens Productions, a video production company based in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to making documentary films, Open Lens produces full-dome planetarium shows, broadcast commercials, and a variety of commercial projects.

Victoria Westover

Executive Producer
VICTORIA WESTOVER has worked in non-profit arts management for 30 years. Since 2004, she has served as the Director of the Hanson FilmTV Institute at The University of Arizona. She is the Founding Producer of Independent Eye (Maryland Public Television). She has produced short and feature-length independent films, including the documentary APACHE 8, which was broadcast on public television stations nationally, and she was the Arizona unit producer for the Mexican film 600 MILES, which won Best First Feature at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2015.

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Walt Pourier

Vice Chair

Walt is Oglala Lakota and created the logo for Urban Rez. He is Creative Director, owner of Nakota Designs Advertising Designs and Graphics. Executive Director of the Stronghold Society nonprofit dedicated to instilling hope and supporting youth movements through Live Life Call To Action Campaigns.

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lynn palmanteer-holder

Lynn Palmanteer-Holder, an Indigenous plateau woman of North Central Washington and member of eight of twelve Tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Lynn recently retired as inaugural Director of Tribal Government Affairs for Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, the state’s oversight agency of 34 CTCs.  She is a highly accomplished professional that spans over 40 years. She is an experienced educator that has a demonstrated history across K12, post-secondary & higher education as a teacher, school counselor, superintendent, researcher, and professor. Also, she has diverse experience as an entrepreneur, Tribal leader and administrator. She is skilled in curriculum and program development, facilitating government to government relationships that led to formal partnerships between state institutions and Tribes developing custom programs. Lynn has served on many boards and has been recognized for various statewide, and national awards. She has several scholarly publications and has done various conference presentations and speaking engagements, at the local, national and international level. Lynn holds a Ph.C. (ABD) in Social Welfare Policy from University of Washington. She earned her M.Ed., with a concentration in counseling psychology from Washington State University and B.Ed., in K12 Education from Eastern Washington University. Lynn is a wife of 49 years, a mother of three adult professional children, granny of 10 and great granny to two. Lynn and her husband are high school sweethearts, and together enjoy time with their 15+ two-legged blessings.