Harsh winters, competitive canines and a young sled dog named Ellesmere who finds her place in the pack.

It鈥檚 an underdog story 鈥� steeped in themes of resilience and harmony between Indigenous mushers and their dogs 鈥� that Miranda Currie has long wanted to tell.

Now, with industry insight and the financial backing to boot, she鈥檚 doing just that.

Currie, a Yellowknife writer and musician, is one of four budding filmmakers recently awarded $16,000, plus an additional $10,000 of in-kind services, after being selected by a jury following a two-week bootcamp in Winnipeg as part of the National Screen Institute鈥檚 IndigiDocs training program.

鈥淚鈥檓 super excited,鈥� Currie said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got stuff supporting this now and I don鈥檛 have to work so hard to find different supports in order to do the film,鈥� she said.

Currie, an artist of Cree heritage known for her music and her Anna Up North children鈥檚 book series, joined seven other fledgling filmmakers in Manitoba鈥檚 capital in February. They attended an immersive mentorship workshop and learned the tools of the trade from industry professionals. From storytelling theory and technical training to entertainment law and insurance, it was all covered.

Usually someone who creates in solitude 鈥� alone in her room or by herself out on the land 鈥� Currie quickly learned how important collaboration is in filmmaking.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not that I鈥檓 not a team player, it鈥檚 just that you have to involve so many people and that was a change and a shift for me,鈥� she said.

Having more people on board means more time to focus on the creative process, said Currie.

鈥淐ollaboration makes it happen.鈥�

At first, Currie found the experience a bit intimidating. She was learning alongside participants with experience in the industry.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 really worked in the film industry at. I thought: my film鈥檚 never going to make it,鈥� recalled Currie.

But it did. Currie thinks her project鈥檚 strong and unique storyline made the difference.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a story that鈥檚 maybe not as commonly told. We don鈥檛 see a lot of stories from a 黑料吃瓜网 Indigenous perspective,鈥� she said.

Since her foray into filmmaking, that鈥檚 been Currie鈥檚 goal: to bring family and children-friendly 黑料吃瓜网 Indigenous content to the big screen.

With her in-the-works project Tails on Ice, Currie captures the tale of Ellesmere, a yearling who trots alongside sled dog team members, Niyanin and Newo.

It鈥檚 a coming-of-age story centred on Ellesmere; finding her place in the pack鈥檚 hierarchy.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also a story about female empowerment,鈥� said Currie.

She said male Canadian Inuit sled dogs are usually the most sought after; they鈥檙e perceived to be able to pull more weight. The three strong female dogs featured in Tails on Ice challenges that notion, said Currie.

Covid-19 has disrupted production plans for the film projects that advanced following February鈥檚 bootcamp, but Currie 鈥� practising physical distancing while adhering to government guidelines 鈥� has been hitting the trails with her dogs out on Yellowknife Bay before the season winds down.

Some of the dogs are becoming videographers themselves 鈥� Currie is harnessing GoPros to the animals to give audiences a point-of-view look from the dogs鈥� perspective.

She's aiming to wrap up post-production by the fall.

Projects nurtured through the IndigiDocs program will be aired on APTN following next year鈥檚 deadline.