Yesterday, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Tracy Rector as the 2018 recipient of the 13th Annual Mayor’s Award for Achievement in Film.
“Tracy’s tenacity, creativity and passion represent the very best of Seattle’s talented film industry,” said Kate Becker, Director of the Office of Film + Music. “Her leadership in centering the voices of indigenous people and using media as an instrument for social change exemplifies the remarkable power of storytelling in all its forms.”
The Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film recognizes an individual or entity for exceptional work that has significantly contributed to the growth, advancement and reputation of Seattle as a filmmaking city.
Rector is a mixed race (Choctaw/Seminole) filmmaker, curator, community organizer, and co-founder of Longhouse Media. She has directed and produced over 400 short films and is currently in production on her fifth feature documentary. Her work has been featured on Independent Lens, Cannes Film Festival, ImagineNative, National Geographic, Toronto International Film Festival, the Seattle Art Museum and in the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian.
Rector’s Longhouse Media focuses on galvanizing the indigenous and local community through film production. Tracy is a 2016 Stranger Genius, has received the National Association for Media Literacy award for outstanding contributions made in the field of media education, is a Firelight Media Fellow, WGBH Producer Fellow, Sundance Institute Lab Fellow, Tribeca All Access Grantee, and is the recipient of the Horace Mann Award for her work in utilizing media for social justice.
The award was presented by Deputy Mayor Shefali Ranganathan on behalf of Mayor Durkan at the Seattle International Film Festival Opening Night.
To learn more about the award and previous winners, visit seattle.gov/filmandmusic/film/mayors-film-award.
