Ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby
Ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby is a citizen of the Gichi Wiikwedong Odawa Anishinaabek (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.) He was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan and received a Bachelor’s Degree in filmmaking at Grand Valley State University in December of 2015.
In 2016, Ishkwaazhe became the first Sundance Institute & Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellow for his script Mino Bimaadiziwin which included participating in the Sundance Institute’s Native Filmmakers Lab in Santa Fe, NM. Shane completed his short film Mino Bimaadiziwin in October of 2017. Mino Bimaadiziwin has screened at film festivals such as Vancouver International Film Festival and Traverse City Film Festival and has been nominated for Best Short Film and Best Direction at the Eclipse Awards.
Ishkwaazhe is currently in his third year of the MFA program in Writing/Directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Ishkwaazhe spends his downtime writing, staying active in the Native community, learning traditional stories and life-ways and advocating for Native rights. He is interested in passing his knowledge of filmmaking down to tribal youth through interactive workshops.