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ABOUT

Gabrielle "Gabz" Norte (Cahuilla/Cupeño) is a 25-year-old Native American filmmaker & photographer from the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla & Cupeño Indians in Warner Springs, California. She graduated in 2020 from Pepperdine University with a major in Film Studies, emphasis in Production. She is currently pursuing an MLIS with a media archival studies specialization at UCLA.

Her debut short film, The Wounded Healer, premiered at California’s American Indian and Indigenous Film Festival in Pechanga, CA and screened as an official selection at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA as part of The LA Skins Film Festival, earning her a nomination for Best Emerging Filmmaker. It is a winner of the Best Cinematography award at Reelstories Film Festival in Malibu, CA.

Her second short film, People Watching, premiered at the 2019 LA Skins Film Festival, earning her another nomination for Best Emerging Filmmaker. The film was also the official selection of the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema and earned nominations for Best Student Film Over 18 and Best Cinematography, as well as winning the Summerhawk Native Film Award.

Her documentary, Hollywood Indian, screened at the Red Nation International Film Festival, winning Best Student Film in 2019.

She is a part of the 400 Years Project and Indigenous Photograph databases.

Her work focuses on Native culture, identity, and creating and preserving legacy for underrepresented people. As a media archivist student and passionate film fan, she hopes to also do work in film restoration and preservation, creating access for future generations to classic, foreign, and independent cinema, and to rediscover, reimagine, and reframe history through a Native lens.

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