Shayna Connelly
Best Short Documentary Jury 2021
Shayna Connelly is a Chicago-based filmmaker whose work explores liminality and the boundaries between documentary, experimental and fiction filmmaking.
Her recent collection of eight films called A Memory Palace of Ghosts connects the ways hauntings affect our daily lives in the form of traumatic events, mental illness, everyday routines, the search for truth and the aftermath of grief.
Best Short Documentary 2021 Winner
BLACKFEET FLOOD
As one of many events that comprise the historical trauma affecting Butch New Breast and the Blackfeet Nation, the Blackfeet Flood imprinted itself on the community. The film’s exceptional blend of editing, sound design and cinematography along with first-person recollections allows the audience a visceral experience of the flood that resulted in the splintering of the Blackfeet Nation. The film questions whether it is possible for someone to return home after a devastating event and whether time can ease one’s memories of loss.