
Diné Kids Film Club in partnership with Diné Artisans + Authors Capacity Building Institute present
dine kids film club
summer camp
Diné Kids Film Club, in partnership with Diné Artisans + Authors Capacity Building Institute, presents the 2025 Virtual Summer Camp, a Community Literacy Project designed to close a critical gap in media literacy education for Native youth through the lens of horror.
By combining the power of the arts with community-centered teaching, these virTUal summer camps empowers young native people to think critically, express themselves authentically, and engage with today’s media landscape through the lens of cultural pride. Rooted in a commitment to equity and representation, the Film Club supports the next generation of Native storytellers and thinkers while keeping it fun and exciting!
summer schedule
Explore poetry, storytelling, and media analysis through a series of free virtual workshops and a select few in-person events!
These chilling workshops invite participants to unlock the hidden powers of critical thinking and self-expression within a culturally rich, and slightly haunted, setting (aka Zoom). Dare to uncover how stories shape our perceptions across both ancestral traditions and the ever-changing digital realm. There are no age limits to creativity!
Sign up for some ghostly online writing circles, where voices echo, ideas awaken, and cultural truths rise from the shadows. Let the stories guide you… if you’re brave enough to listen.
Please note: All workshops are on Pacific Time below

Ghosts!: Exploring Family & Memory as a Horror Story w/ Danielle Shaandiin Emerson
What is a ghost? What is a haunting, really? Where do ghosts come from? And how can we write stories from ghostly experiences and perspectives through memory and archive? Featuring YA works by Trang Thanh Tran and Cherie Dimaline.

campfire poetry night @ palabras bookstore in phoenix, arizona
Join us by the fire for an evening of storytelling, poetry, and creative expression. Featuring local poets and artists, this community event blends campfire stories with the power of cultural imagination and resurgence.

Slate, Scene, Repeat: How to Self-Tape an Audition with Natalie Benally
Step into the eerie glow of your ring light and prepare for a workshop like no other where the camera never blinks, and the silence on the other end is deafening. In this haunted Zoom session, you’ll learn the dark arts of nailing your self-tape audition—from summoning your best take to banishing awkward lighting forever.

Avoiding the horrors of tokenization: a close study of Sinners w/ steven luna
Step into the shadows of storytelling in this chilling, virtual workshop where we’ll peel back the layers of the horror film Sinners. Discover eerie filmmaking tips and devilish tricks utilized by the film’s team, and break it down like a haunted autopsy.

Welcome to primetime!: Dreamscape & Horror Poetics W/ MATEO PEREZ LARA
What do your dreams say about you? About us? and our World? Let's explore the horrors of cinematic dream-scape and put it onto the page. Nightmare on Elm Street, Final Destination, Happy Death Day, future visions, moving the mind into our poetry, into the written word. Our fears, our terrors can become our balm, our protection, our strength. Enter the portal, follow the tv static.

Pitch Perfect: Build the Pitch to Match Your Story w/sabrina saleha
Whether you’re dreaming up a horror short, a comedy series, or a powerful doc, every story needs a pitch — a way to clearly communicate what your story is, why it matters, and why you’re the one to tell it. In this workshop, we’ll break down the anatomy of a great pitch and learn how to create a compelling visual pitch deck or lookbook — the go-to tools filmmakers, writers, and showrunners use to sell their vision.

Directing Horror and Comedy, It's Terrifying! w/Taylor Reynolds
When you watch a horror movie, do you ever wonder what dark magic the creators used to bring those terrifying moments to life? How do they summon bone-chilling performances from actors, or craft visuals so haunting they linger long after the screen goes dark? Directing is a shadowy craft, often cloaked in mystery, and working in genres like horror and comedy requires a special kind of alchemy.