Radical Grant Recipients

Screen producer/songwriter Maureen Suttman - $500
For the screening and film benefit of I Can't Think Straight and The World Unseen, the first two films from Enlightenment Productions based in London England directed and written by Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattana who are also long committed life partners and parents. Released in 2008, the film has won many international film awards, South African Film awards, and TV awards. Check out the website at www.enlightenment-productions.com. The double feature will be held at Out North Theater on Friday, October 8, at 6:30pm and Sunday, October 10, at 1pm. Look for tickets at Metro Books in September.
Bio: “Maureen Suttman is perhaps best known in connection to RAW as a local singer songwriter who cut her performance teeth through The Alaska Women's Music Festival, Celebration of Change and The Women's Coffeehouse. Having been exposed more recently to two multi-international award-winning films, and having then learned about the production house behind the films, has found herself compelled to produce their local screenings. Maureen finds "the project" to be a great deal of fun to arrange; especially as she thinks we will like the films. On the other hand, it's not just the films she hopes we will embrace, but the production house behind them-Enlightenment Productions. "I thought our community would want to know about these women, and support them as we can." As for the screenings, Maureen offers them as a great-big thanks to all the folks who have listened to her warbling over the years, and has been good sports about it.”

Performer/educator Yngvil Vatn Guttu - $500
For The Vuleka Project a music project where she represented Alaska in South Africa during August 2007.
Quote from her proposal: “The aim of the planned trip in August project is to develop our connection further, to rehearse for and perform live for a series of confirmed high profile performances and media appearances, develop new material and connect with local musicians and educators. We will get to share our group’s music as well as present work we each do as individual artists in our home countries.”

Actress and theatre maverick Shelly Wozniak - $1,000
for big tree productions, which produced Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens at Mad Myrna’s. Check out her MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/bigtreealaska.
From her grant request: “The future of big tree productions is bright. I have already acquired the rights of The Well of Horniness by Holly Hughes (one of the NEA 4.) Ms. Hughes will be traveling to Alaska in the Spring of 2008 as a guest of big tree productions on a lecture tour to coincide with the production of her work by my company.”

Photographers Drea Hunnicutt and Verola Ferrell of Untamed and Framed - $500
for Pulp Friction, a pinup calendar, event and more. Check out their products at http://www.cafepress.com/untamed_framed.
Quote from their grant application: “By involving a diverse cross section of local lesbians in this project, we hope to inspire a reviewed sense of power, identify, and sense of self. We have purposely chosen women that are role models in our community as well as those not so involved in our community. Our goal is not only to create a lesbian pulp calendar, but also to create new relationships, give voice to our less visible lesbians, and lay a new foundation for our next set of role models by presenting resources to them amidst an exciting project designed for them and their interests. We believe they will feel encouraged to become involved and reclaim their place in the GLBT community.”

Also:
2005 Grantee: Artist Kenna Bates for her board game Alaska Dyke Life. Learn more at http://www.kennabates.com.