TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators

Her birth father originates from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation.

She’s a proud mother of four and credits her role as a mother to her perseverance and ambition.

Her childhood dream was to become a police officer and fight on behalf of her Indigenous community on social issues regarding systemic racism and racial profiling. When in a university police prep course she discovered her passion for policing was driven by the desire to help her Indigenous community and not to reprimand or punish.

She discovered a way to share important messages and engage in education and discussions regarding Indigenous issues such as MMIWG2S, systemic racism and cultural appropriation.

It was through media she noticed a shift where Indigenous people can share and educate.

Her short period at Red River College’s creative communications program gave her the necessary skills to start her journey into media production. Her focus is to assert Indigenous representation in media and film.

TikTok is where she has had the biggest impact on her journey. She plans to use her platform to further amplify the voices of Indigenous people and People of Colour

Her future aspirations are to write and direct her own movie and sitcom series with an Indigenous focus.

Her content consists of Indigenous comedy, awareness and stereotypes.

Sherry acknowledges non-Indigenous allyship on and off social media and gives thanks and appreciation to anyone who stands in solidarity with Indigenous people.

After winning the inaugural RBC Emerging Filmmaker pitch competition at Gimli Film Festival she formed a production company with her sister JJ Neepin called JJNEEPINFILMS. The pair have produced several short films that have played at national and international film festivals.

Justina is also the acting president of the Indigenous Filmmakers Association and one of the co-founders of the Indigenous Film Summit.

When Justina isn’t working, she volunteers her time with the Winnipeg Indigenous Filmmakers Collective and the DGC BIPOC Members Committee.

Justina is an alumna of NSI IndigiDocs and CBC New Indigenous Voices, presented by the National Screen Institute.

As program manager, Sarah works across many of the National Screen Institute’s programs, helps run the day-to-day activities of CBC New Indigenous Voices and provides production and mentorship support for NSI New Northern Voices.

Sarah is a multi-talented Indigenous woman, born and raised on Treaty 1 Territory, (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and registered to Long Plain First Nation. She is a filmmaker with extensive experience who is dedicated to her craft and has made multiple short films that have screened at North American festivals. She strives to create stories and to help others share their stories through the medium of filmmaking.

Sarah went from thinking filmmaking could only be a hobby to making it a full-time career for herself: as a production manager for various productions and working at the National Screen Institute.

She is also co-chair of the board of directors for WNDX Festival of Moving Images and chair of Winnipeg Film Group.