ReVision Alaska, a series from KTOO, is a curated collection of 30-minute documentary films from across Alaska that re-examines our past, revises stereotypes, and elevates a new generation of storytellers.
The ReVision Mission
As a small public media organization in Alaska’s capital we aspire to help reshape the landscape of non-fiction documentary programming in Alaska. But we can’t do this alone. Through a combination of in-house and independent productions directed by filmmakers in their own communities, each season of ReVision Alaska amplifies a rising tide of diverse voices who are rewriting the narratives about their communities. National headlines often approach Alaska through the language of loss and crisis, painting residents as passive victims of systemic racism, climate change or historical trauma. ReVision Alaska approaches the challenges facing Alaska through the eyes of those working on solutions, offering visions of social equity, cultural resurgence, economic transition, and hope.
SEASON TWO
SITKA HERRING: A TALE OF TWO HARVESTS
PRODUCED BY ANDRES JAVIER CAMACHO
Sheet’ká, or Sitka, is one of the last places where herring eggs — a critical cultural food for Indigenous communities — can be harvested in Southeast Alaska. This film looks at the evolving relationship between the herring egg harvest, the commercial sac roe fishery, and state management.
AMIDUSIM AKALUĜAA: PATHWAY TO HEALING
PRODUCED BY ANDRÉS CAMACHO AND KANESIA MCGLASHAN-PRICE
Amidusim Akaluĝaa: Pathway to Healing is a poignant documentary that explores the forgotten history of Alaska’s forced relocation camps during World War II and one man’s mission to protect and memorialize the gravesites of those who perished, confronting injustice and paving the way for healing.
RECONNECTING THROUGH RHYTHM
PRODUCED BY: RAFAEL BITANGA
An uplifting documentary that follows Filipino Alaskan dance coach Alma Manabat Parker’s efforts to unite her community through the power of traditional Filipino dance, celebrating cultural identity and mental wellness.
INDIGENOUS RESISTANCE: NOW & THEN
PRODUCED BY ‘WÁATS’ASDIYEI JOE YATES
A thought-provoking documentary that amplifies the voices of Indigenous communities as they share stories of resistance against colonialism, reclaiming their cultural identities, and their ongoing fight for justice.
SABOR ÁRTICO: LATINOS EN ALASKA
PRODUCED BY INDRA ARRIAGA DELGADO
Offers a compelling glimpse into the unique challenges and cultural adaptations of Alaska’s growing Latino population as they forge their identities in the extreme Arctic environment.
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE
PRODUCED BY ATMAN MEHTA
Set in Golovin, an Arctic village in Western Alaska, the film traces residents’ lives amidst a significant climate crisis, offering both an expressionist and verité portrait of community life.
DECOLONIZING EDUCATION
PRODUCED BY ANDRES JAVIER CAMACHO
Explore the decolonization of education through place-based learning, guided by the wisdom of Lingít elder and author Ernestine Hayes, and the transformative work of educators Lorrie Heagy and George Holly, who integrate culture bearers and music from the Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM) program to revitalize learning experiences.
SEASON ONE
WEAVING OUR IDENTITY
PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS
For centuries, indigenous artifacts have been stolen and put on display in distant museums around the world, including the sacred textiles of Southeast indigenous peoples, known as Chilkat robes. Weaving Our Identity presents the story of a collaboration of indigenous weavers, chemists and Alaska State Museum curators, who are researching historic and new yarn dyeing techniques.
SM’ALGYA̱X LEARNERS GROUP
PRODUCED BY LYNDSEY BROLLINI, PAIGE SPARKS, & ANDRÉS JAVIER CAMACHO
When the pandemic lockdowns began in Juneau, Shiggoap Alfie Price and a determined group of Sm’algya̱x (Tsimshian) language learners organized over zoom to continue teaching and learning their indigenous language. Now their learning community includes Tsimshian people from across Alaska and North America. Without institutional support, they are taking action to pass on Sm’algya̱x to the next generation.
CAUGHT IN THE UNDERTOW
PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS & CLAIRE STREMPLE
Finding adequate behavioral health services is challenging in the remote landscape of Alaska. Gaps in funding, legislation and healthcare providers make it especially hard for those seeking sobriety and long-term addiction recovery. This film will spotlight the issues Alaska faces when it comes to solving our addiction crisis through the lived experiences of therapists, patients engaged in treatment, and the families of those who didn’t get the resources they needed to survive.
AYAPRUN
PRODUCED BY KATIE BASILE AND KYUK
Ayaprun Loddie Jones is a Yup’ik Elder and educator in Bethel, Alaska. She is the founder of one of the first Indigenous language immersion schools in Alaska. Ayaprun’s teaching career spans 50-years and she is reluctantly retiring this Spring. Our film follows her through her last semester of teaching. As we watch her interact with students, parents and teachers we learn about Ayaprun’s life, the importance of language revitalization and the struggle to get the Yup’ik immersion school started, its success and ongoing growth.
ALASKA’S AVALANCHE CAPITAL
PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS, RASHAH McCHESNEY, & ANDRÉS JAVIER CAMACHO
In 1962, more than 30 homes were damaged in an avalanche in a Juneau subdivision. In 2008, a huge set of avalanches severed the town’s connection to its biggest source of hydroelectricity. And in 2021, city officials went door-to-door in the Behrends Neighborhood telling people to evacuate their homes during unprecedented avalanche conditions. How did Juneau develop into a city with what some experts have called “unacceptable” risk for urban avalanches?
QUEENS AND KINGS OF JUNEAU
PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS, RASHAH McCHESNEY
Juneau, Alaska, a small town of 30,000 people, boasts a monthly drag performance of close to 30 drag performers, organized by Gigi Monroe who is, “drag mom” to nearly half that Juneau drag family. The family is working out how to provide a vibrant and safe space for each performer to flourish in, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the whole scene. In KTOO’s new original documentary, Queens and Kings of Juneau, we meet a number of other queens and kings also finding their place in this family. The documentary depicts how a few people have come together to support each other in being as whole and vibrant as one can be.
The Gold Digger
PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS
When the pandemic threatened to shut down their popular Filipino restaurant in the cruise ship destination of Skagway, Arlene Diente and Albert Efergan took the leap and moved to Juneau. The Gold Digger tells the story of one Filipino-Italian family in Alaska, and how they’ve built a home for themselves and discovered community through their restaurant.