b'FILMPAVING THE WAY: LAURA MILLIKENLaura Milliken has dedicated her career to bringing Indigenous stories to Canadian audiences. Since the age of 26, the multi-talented writer, director and producer has broken barriers and ratings across multiple mediums, earning a reputed name in Canadas entertainment circles and opening doors for Indigenous creatives. Milliken is a proud member of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, and, as President and CEO of Big Soul Productions, she has spent 20-plus years navigating Canadas entertainment scene. Her many credits include co-creating and co-producing Moccasin Flats and producing her debut feature film by Adam Garnet Jones, Fire Song. She served as Creator and Executive Producer for Guilt Free Zone for three seasons, and produced award-winning Zoe Leigh Hopkins feature Run Woman Run, among many other TV, short film, documentary and music video projects. Im always drawn to projects that depict the lives and triumphs of contemporary Indigenous people and how far they can go in systems where they have traditionally faced barriers, Milliken says, reflecting on her auspicious career to date. This guiding philosophy inspired Milliken to create and lead Friday Night Thunder, a documentary series on APTN that follows the lives of Indigenous sprint car racers in the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Im really proud of my motorsport series, and I love being a woman in motorsports, Milliken tells She is Wise. My dad was such a car culture guy, and that was really out of necessity. So many Indigenous people wrenched on cars because they had to, and we became very, very, very adept at mechanics. Now, we have opportunities to see Indigenous racers going as far as NASCAR, and thats what I would like to see in the time that Im making my series.Going the distance in her own career has made Milliken a source of inspira-tion for up-and-coming Indigenous creators. Asked to impart advice to anyone aspiring for a career in film, she says one of the first steps to break into the business is doing your homework. Success in this business is really about knowing the industry, doing your research, and knowing what youre getting yourself into, she says. If you dont know that, you dont know your rights.However, Maurice decided she would not let gatekeepers stop heropen funding to Indigenous storytellers. Indigenous storytellers, from telling the stories she wanted to tell. Institutional racism isfilmmakers and creatorsweve been here forever, she says. Only real and was my biggest hurdle, but I always tell people dont givenow are we being accepted and given the opportunity to see our up, she says. At the end of the day, the essence of the story andstories come to life with TV series, web series, feature films, digital the connection between your characters are whats going to be mostmedia, and even VR.important in creating a successful feature film.To other filmmakers hoping to use these channels to bring their It has been a long road bringing her first feature film, ROSIE, tovisions to life, Maurice says to be persistent and believe in your work TIFF. Promisingly, Maurice believes the formation of the Indigenousno matter how many barriers or gatekeepers get in the way. Also, Screen Office (ISO) and the work of Indigenous filmmakers helpedshe adds, avoid letting your story become someone elses property: 62Fall/Winter 2022'