Board of Directors

Lynette Allston

In her role as Chief of the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, Lynette Lewis Allston encourages and mentors

the citizens of the Tribe to embrace traditional creative art forms, while incorporating their contemporary interpretations. As the past President of the Rawls Museum Arts in Courtland Virginia, she strives to promote a broader appreciation of all art expressions in smaller communities, where resources are scarce.

Following a career as a small business owner, Lynette returned to her childhood home in Drewryville, Virginia. In the decades preceding her retirement, Lynette was a committed advocate for an array of community activities, commissions and boards in Columbia, South Carolina. These included serving on the Board of the Columbia Museum of Art (CMA), and a term as the Chairman of the CMA Commission.

In the spring of 2017, Lynette opened the intimate Gallery 1606 in Capron as an inclusive showplace for local art. Concurrently, Lynette organized the” 1st Saturday’s Artisan Market in Capron “as a free venue for the numerous local area artists and craftsmen.

As a result of wider outreach, Tribal artists have shown their work at various museums, art and cultural shows, demonstrated at cultural events, and enhanced the economic viability of their artistry. Lynette hopes her encouraging artists to step outside their comfort zone, to constantly refine their techniques, and to creatively market their talents, has had a meaningful impact in her rural community. Artists in her Tribe, and in her broader Southeastern Virginia community, have an enriched vitality to expand, develop and grow as artists.

She currently serves on the Board of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Southampton County Planning Commission and the Chairman of the Virginia Indian Advisory Committee. She is a graduate of Duke University with a degree in history.

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Brad Brown

Brad Brown had a 35-year career as a sales manager and sales executive in the consumer products industry, mostly on the West Coast.

In 2007 he and his wife, Kathleen, moved from California to the Pamunkey Indian Reservation in Virginia. Brad is an enrolled member of the federally recognized Pamunkey Indian Tribe where he served on the Tribal Council for eight years and was the Assistant Chief for six years. Brad enjoys gardening, cooking, kayaking, and sitting by the river with a glass of wine. He has been designated by cinema professionals and leaders of the 11 Native American Tribes of Virginia to serve as director of the Pocahontas Reframed: Native American Storytellers Film Festival.

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Shelley Niro

Niro is a member of the Six Nations Reserve, Bay of Quinte Mohawk, Turtle Clan. She is a multi-media artist. Her work involves photography, painting, beadwork and film.

Niro is conscious the impact post-colonial mediums have had on Indigenous people. Like many artists from different Native communities, she works relentlessly presenting people in realistic and explorative portrayals. Photo series such as MOHAWKS IN BEEHIVES, THIS LAND IS MIME LAND and M: STORIES OF WOMEN are a few of the genre of artwork. Films include: HONEY MOCCASIN, IT STARTS WITH A WHISPER, THE SHIRT, KISSED BY LIGHTNING and ROBERT’S PAINTINGS. Recently she finished her film THE INCREDIBLE 25th YEAR OF MITZI BEARCLAW.

Shelley graduated from the Ontario College of Art, Honours and received her Master of Fine Art from the University of Western Ontario.

Niro was the inaugural recipient of the Aboriginal Arts Award presented through the Ontario Arts Council in 2012. In 2017 Niro received the Governor General’s Award For The Arts from the Canada Council, The Scotiabank Photography Award and also received the Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Award.

Niro recently received an honorary doctorate from the Ontario College of Arts and Design University. She also was the 2019 Laureate of the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Photography.

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Jack Kohler

Jack Kohler is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. He graduated from

Stanford University with a civil engineering degree, where he was also a member of the marching band and lacrosse team. He has been an actor, producer and director for over two decades, garnering numerous awards from across the globe including the Eagle Spirit award and Best Documentary Feature from the American Indian Film Festival. His original series, On Native Ground, airing on the PBS-FNX channel has won the Native American Journalist Association Award of Excellence for Television Programing for four years in a row. He also composed and wrote the Native Rock Opera titled Something Inside Is Broken that won a Native American Music Award for Best Rock Album. Jack is the Executive Director of non-profit production company On Native Ground.

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George Aguilar

George Aguilar is a Native American actor. He held major roles in many American Western movies and French films. He notably played in: Ulzana’s Raid…

( with Burt Lancaster) The Trial of Billy Jack, The Mystic Warrior, Out of Rosenheim (Bagdad café), The Scarlet Letter (with Demi Moore and Gary Oldman), Le mystère de la chambre jaune, Les bronzés 3: amis pour la vie, Cliente. For several years now, he has been acting in French productions. George Aguilar brings a unique perspective to the Pocahontas Reframed: Native American Storytellers Film Festival board through his inside experience and knowledge of the film industries on both sides of the Atlantic. His frankness and honesty have assisted the Festival in the continuity and advancement of its quality. As a board member, Aguilar will be vigilant about artistic and showmanship considerations to ensure that the Festival is the best possible experience both for the delegation of Native American and non-Native actors/directors and for the spectators who come to the Festival. George is married to actress Josiane Balasko.

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Sam Proctor

Before his family returned to Virginia, Sam Proctor was born and spent his formative years in Oregon.

He is a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribe of Poplar, Montana. Sam is the third generation in the family business, F&R, which provides engineering, environmental and construction engineering testing. Sam and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons. Their family activities include School, Scouts, Sports – Track and Soccer, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

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Sam Bearpaw

For the past 30 years Sam Bearpaw has been involved in various capacities in the Entertainment Industry from

acting in film and commercials, music videos, print ads, and Public Service Announcements. Sam is also a casting agent who provides and promotes Native American Talent. Sam also goes to schools and Senior Living Centers to provide inspirational talks and performances.

As an ordained minister of the First Nations Ministry he performs needed spiritual services to the Community such as weddings and funerals and words of encouragement to those in need. Sam is a Champion Pow wow Dancer in the categories of Men’s Northern Traditional Dance and Prairie Chicken Dance. You will also find him sitting at the drum of Kalifornia Ramblers singing pow wow songs. Weekends will find Sam dancing and singing at powwows or enjoying the day riding his Harley-Davidson Motorcycle.

Sam and his wife Stephanie live in North County San Diego, the traditional territory and homelands of the Luiseño(Payómkawichum) and Kumeyaay peoples, where they enjoy exploring nature and all the beauty the area offers. Sam Bearpaw is Southern Athabaskan and descends from Mimbreno Apache and \Mlite Mountain Apache.

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Sandra Richardson-Hope

Sandra Richardson-Hope is a Citizen of the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe of N.C and lives just West of Washington, D.C. in Virginia.

While her career has focused largely on ERP Systems implementation in both government and private industry, Sandra’s lifelong adventure has been to bring visibility of Indigenous people into the mainstream. In 2019, Sandra was gifted an American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Sequoyah Fellow by IBM for her work in promoting STEM education for American Indian students.

For the last 15 years Sandra has been immersed in film, broadcast, and media production. She is a published fiction author, published poetry author, and has written screenplays and song lyrics. She is co-founder and President of Saving the Circle, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to educating and bringing humanity together from the perspective and history of Indigenous Peoples through film and theatre. Since 2020, Sandra has been the Treasurer of the American Indian Society of DC and she built and maintains the technology platforms for 6+ Indigenous focused initiatives. Her Find a Native (.com) platform supports commerce, causes, community, and culture of Indigenous resources across Indian Country. Sandra is also a co-host for the podcast Lost in the Translation.

As co-chair for the 2019 Loudoun County NAACP Freedom Fund banquet, Sandra brought awareness to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). She was previously co-host of Jay Winter Nightwolf Live and has been a guest on The Nightwolf Show – American Indian and Indigenous People’s Truths, Native Opinion, and the Catoctin Circle Women’s TedX. She also produced a local Virginia concert with Dove award-winning group Avalon.

Sandra deems that “the lack of indigenous representation across mainstream and popular media is an egregious oversight caused by disregard for descendants of the original occupants of the Americas”.

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Andy Edmunds

Andy Edmunds, Director of the Virginia Film Office, is a Virginia native and an accomplished musician and

songwriter. After studying music at VCU in the mid-80s, Edmunds produced a music video of one of his songs that was broadcast on MTV. This experience introduced him to the film production industry, where he ultimately settled in as a location scout until landing a job at the Virginia Film Office in 1997. “I found myself in a non-traditional area of economic development that seemed to be perfectly suited to my experience and interests. Every day I look forward to continuing to give back to the state I know and love through an enthusiastic approach to attracting clients and delivering creative solutions,” says Edmunds. During his time with the Film Office, Andy has worked with the most notable filmmakers of our time including, Terrence Malick, Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg, to name a few.

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Margaret Finucane

Margaret Finucane is the Communications Manager of the Virginia Film Office,

where she is responsible for communications, media and promotional initiatives. Originally from upstate NY, Margaret came to Virginia as an undergraduate at the University of Richmond. After receiving her degree from UR, she decided to remain in Richmond where she has had experience in public relations, writing, social media, project management, data analysis, and editing, with previous positions in research and writing.

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Françoise & Peter Kirkpatrick

Françoise and Peter Kirkpatrick are, respectively, professor of contemporary French literature

and film studies at the University of Richmond, and professor of French civilization and film studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 1992, they founded together the French Film Festival in Richmond, Virginia, which they continue to direct the Festival. Each edition of the Festival offers a selection of the most recent feature and short films representing the diversity of the French cinema. Films are presented by their directors or actors, and all have English subtitles. Since its creation, the Festival has welcomed more than 850 French directors, actors and producers in the Byrd Theatre, one of the last magnificent cinema palaces in the United States. Each year, during the four intensive days of the Festival weekend, the number of spectators rises to more than 21,000. Françoise and Peter are both Knights in the Order of Academic Excellence (Palmes Académiques) and Knights in the Order of Arts and Letters. On June 6, 2011, the Kirkpatricks were awarded the Médaille Beaumarchais by the French writers’ guild (SACD) for the creation and annual direction of the French Film Festival – Richmond, Virginia, which promotes and defends French cinematographic art in the United States.

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Kerry Canaday

Kerry Canaday, a citizen of the Chickahominy Tribe located in Charles City County, VA,

is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Project Director for VTEC. VTEC serves the seven federally recognized sovereign tribes in Virginia. They are dedicated to the empowerment, betterment and ultimate success of Native youth and Tribal citizens in Virginia by helping to facilitate educational opportunities, career training, and ensuring accessibility to accurate historical information on Virginia Indians.

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Todd Schall-Vess

Todd Schall-Vess has spent his entire life working in entertainment. Before becoming the General Manager…

of the Byrd Theatre, Todd was a seasoned professional theatre exhibitor. He previously worked at Fulton Theatre in Pittsburg, Ashland Theatre, West Tower Cinemas, The Ridge, Westhampton, Willow Lawn, Spotsylvania Mall Theatres, United Artists Theatres, Chesterfield Towne Center, and Visual Aids Electronics. October 2017 marks Todd’s 20th year at the Byrd, where he has been instrumental in bringing about a number of important changes in operations and vision. He has overseen several updates, such as the implementation of xenon lamp houses, cyan soundtrack readers, a new Dolby Digital sound system, upgrades to full digital cinema technology and then to a 4K projector. Todd owns his own consulting company, Smoke & Mirrors LLC, through which he designs lighting, special effects, and AV specialties. Todd is one of only 5 ATF licensed pyrotechnicians in the Richmond area.

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Monika Siebert

Monika Siebert is an associate professor of English and American Studies at

the University of Richmond, Virginia, where she teaches courses in contemporary American literature and North American indigenous literature and film. She is the author of Indians Playing Indian: Multiculturalism and Contemporary Indigenous Art in North America (2015) and essays on indigenous literature and cinema in American Literature, Public Culture, ab-Original: Journal of Indigenous Studies and First Nations and First Peoples’ Cultures, and Mississippi Quarterly.

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Cristina Stanciu

Cristina Stanciu is an associate professor of English and the Director of the Humanities Research Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.

There, she teaches courses in Indigenous and multiethnic literatures, visual culture, and critical race theory. She is the recipient of recent awards such as a Fulbright Scholar Award, an Obama Institute fellowship, an NEH summer stipend, and an AAUW fellowship. She is the coeditor (with Kristina Ackley) of Laura Cornelius Kellogg: Our Democracy and the American Indian”and Other Writings (2015, 2021) and (with Anastasia Lin) of the MELUS journal special issue, “Pedagogy in Anxious Times” (2017). Her work has appeared and is forthcoming in journals such as NAIS: Native American and Indigenous Studies, AIQ: American Indian Quarterly, JAS: Journal of American Studies, MELUS: Multiethnic Literatures of the United States, SAIL: Studies in American Indian Literatures, JGAPE: Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, The Italian American Review, Intertexts, College English, and in edited collections. Her first monograph, The Makings and Unmakings of Americans: Indians and Immigrants in American Literature and Culture, 1879-1924, is forthcoming from Yale University Press. She is at work on a new book project on representations of residential/boarding school experience in Indigenous literature and film.

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ADVISORY BOARD

Film & Guest Programming Advisors

Robert Gray (Pamunkey)
Stephen Adkins (Chickahominy)
Walt Brown (Cheroenhaka Nottoway)
Lynette Allston (Nottoway)
John Lightner (Patawomek)
Mark Custalow (Mattaponi)
Reggie Tupponce (Upper Mattaponi)
Dr. Karenne Wood (Monacan, UVA)
Anne Richardson (Rappahannock)

Marketing & Development Committee

Dana Elmquist (Style Weekly)
Amy Ritchie (2019 Commemoration, American Evolution)
Yuri Milligan (2019 Commemoration, American Evolution)

Logistics & Finances Committee

Allyn Cook-Swarts (Pamunkey)
Sid Turner (Nottoway)

Academic Outreach Committee

Dr. Monica Siebert (UR)
Dr. Cristina Stanciu (VCU)
Dr. Gregory Smithers (VCU)
Dr. Karenne Wood (Monacan, UVA)

Sponsors & Funding

Amy Ritchie (2019 Commemoration, American Evolution)
Sam Proctor (Assiniboine)

Board of Directors