Collaborative film project recognized (again) in international festivals throughout 2017

Since its completion in 2015, a collaborative project that saw RIT College of Art and Design faculty, students and alumni team with community organizations has been widely presented and won several awards.

In 2017, it was more of the same for “Iroquois Creation Story,” a 17-minute film that combines animation and dance to communicate the ancient creation tale told by generations of Haudenosaunee people (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy).

The work — the result of a partnership between RIT, renowned Garth Fagan Dance Company and The Friends of Ganondagan, which supports the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, N.Y. — was selected for multiple international exhibitions last year, including:

• Wolves Independent International Film Festival (Lithuania)

• Native Spirit Film Festival (England)

• Copa Shorts Film Festival (Arizona)

“Iroquois Creation Story” is the first film interpretation of the world-formation story that’s been passed down for hundreds of years. The film required the skill sets of traditional Iroquois singers, dancers and musicians, as well as animators and artists at RIT.

School of Film and Animation (SOFA) professor Cat Ashworth was the project’s artistic director. Under her guidance, SOFA students and graduates created the film’s animation — building and designing 3D models of the main characters, whose clothing was researched for authenticity. Dance sections choreographed by Garth Fagan Dance were filmed by the students and alumni.

The film’s producer is G. Peter Jemison, manager of the Ganondagan State Historic Site, a destination for visitors to explore the history of what was a flourishing 17th-century Seneca community.