and knowledge to keep us
documentary i Torsten Kjellstrand
- SYNOPSIS
And Knowledge to Keep Us is a documentary about a community reconnecting with its deep, rich culture and using that knowledge to try to heal from what had been taken over many generations. It’s also the story of a people charting a way forward for their children in a place of abundance – their home – that is often misunderstood by those who are not familiar with life in the northern reaches of the globe.
TRT: 60 Minutes
Release: November 1, 2024
Expiration: October 31, 2028
Distributor: APT
NOLA: AKKU
Rights: Unlimited releases over four (4) years beginning 11/1/2024; One (1) Year School Rerecord rights;
Noncommercial Cable rights.
torsten kjellstrand
Director/Producer/Director of Photography
Torsten Kjellstrand has documented stories in under-represented and misrepresented communities in both photographs and film for three decades. He is a Professor of Practice at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication in Eugene, Oregon. Before that, he worked as a newspaper photographer at The Herald (Dubois County, Indiana), The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington) and The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon). He was named Photographer of the Year by Pictures of the Year International, studied as a Fulbright Scholar in comparative literature and spent a year at Stanford University as a John S. Knight Fellow.
sven haakanson
Director/Producer
Sven Haakanson, PhD, is a leader in the documentation, preservation, and revival of Indigenous culture, including his own native Alaskan Sugpiat traditions. He is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (2007), the Museums Alaska Award for Excellence (2008), the ATALM Guardians of Culture and Lifeways Leadership Award (2012), and his work on the Angyaaq led it to be inducted into the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame (2020). He was Executive Director of the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository (2000-2013 Kodiak, AK), and joined the University of Washington as an associate professor of Anthropology and curator of Native American collections at the Burke Museum in 2013. He played a central role in the design of the new Burke "Culture is Living" Gallery (2016-19). Dr. Haakanson engages communities in cultural revitalization using material reconstruction as a form of scholarship and teaching. His projects have included the reconstruction of full-sized angyaaq boats from archaeological models, as well as halibut hooks, masks, paddles, and traditional processing of bear gut into waterproof material for clothing. He continues to collaborate with the community of Akhiok at their Akhiok Kids camp since 2000. Through such hands-on collaborations Dr. Haakanson brings traditions alive and engages students through active learning methods. Dr. Haakanson serves as a board member of the First Alaskan Institute (since 2006), the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (from 2009-2020, Chair 2016-20), and Koniag Inc. (since 2015). He is also an accomplished carver, photographer and filmmaker.
mark blaine
Producer/Director
Mark Blaine is a Professor of Practice at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. His documentary work explores complex issues of climate change and local communities, wildfire and resilience, public understanding of science, and the use of technology to engage publics in science and environmental issues. He has worked as a daily news journalist and editor, and his more recent work has been funded by the Joint Fire Science Program, the U.S. Forest Service, the Online News Association, the Materials Science Institute, and Vision Maker Media.
