Creators & Filmmakers
KEVIN JOHN FITZGERALD, DGC
Kevin is an award-winning and critically acclaimed Canadian Filmmaker of Arawak-Kanak heritage. And Tuareg-Bantu; and French-Polynesian ancestry born in Lënapehóking, the unceded homeland of the Lenape people, known colonially as Southern Ontario, Kanata, and New York, North America/Turtle Island! He is a person of diverse abilities, known for his renowned classic documentary “Freestyle The Art of Rhyme”. It screened at numerous film festivals worldwide & won several awards including the HBO Documentary & Kodak Maverick Awards. He is a Netflix Diversity of Voices and WarnerMedia Access Fellow, an Indigenous Screen Office - Solidarity Filmmaker, and a Rogers - Black Screen Office - Creator. His films have been released theatrically globally & commercially broadcast on MTV Networks/Vh1, B-Sky-B, SBS; & distributed theatrically by Palm Pictures and on home video by Netflix, Universal, EMI, Sony, and Agnes B. He studied acting & dance at the Beverly Hills Playhouse with Milton Katselas & his father; an on & off-Broadway Dancer-Actor/Muhammad Ali fight Director & student of Sandy Meisner at The Neighbourhood Playhouse and a dancer in the original Ziegfeld Folies at Radio City Music Hall. Kevin was nominated for a Student Academy Award that he shot one of his 1st films with actor/friend David Arquette & fellow Unity Committee crew member Lucas "Cut Chemist" McFadden of Interscope music recording artists Jurassic-5 and the Grammy Nominated group Ozomatli. He is also a DJ-musician having performed with Mos Def, Wu-Tang Clan, Young MC, DJ Shadow, Macey Gray, The Black Eyed Peas, and Aloe Blacc. He attended the prestigious USC Film School and was taught directing by Jay Roach, DGA (Austin Powers), screenwriting by Robert Mckee and Oscar Williams (WGA), acting for the camera with Joan Scheckel, and sound by Tom Holman (inventor of THX) of Lucasfilm. He further studied with and mentored and apprenticed under directors D.A. Pennebaker and John Singleton (DGA) on the feature film “Higher Learning” for Columbia Pictures. He is a co-host and technical support advisor on Club Peace Pipe Radio, formed post-LA 90's Riots as a way to unify the BIPOC community and DJ on KPFK 90.7 FIM. Kevin directed and produced a documentary on Macy Gray for Columbia Records. He followed this with the film “7-Days In Paris” about Ben Harper and his band The Innocent Criminals recording their final album for Virgin Records “Lifeline” at the all-analog Gang Studio in Paris, France. Kevin was also the Director of Photography on the documentary film “Soundz of Spirit,” featuring Common, and was a Producer on the feature film “Half Widow” shot in Kashmir.
Kevin comes from a long Indigenous lineage with a strong understanding of his culture and spiritual teachings. He has a passion for traditional cultural filmmaking, music, and dancing traditions that have a sense of identity and connections to the ancestors that is vital to community wellness and development, and sustainability. As a holder of knowledge and living documents, he is humbled by the traditional connection to our collective ancestry and stories to carry on these sacred practices with the utmost integrity.
Kevin has diverse and extensive experience as a media arts professional for over 30 years as a documentary filmmaker, director, cinematographer, editor, DJ, musician, traditional healer, storyteller, and sound designer, sharing traditional knowledge and wisdom, creating and building collaborative teams and communities, in a collective process. Kevin combines culturally focused filmmaking as a way to share knowledge.
Deborah Augier
Deborah was raised in Wabamun Lake, Alberta, Treaty 6 territory. Deborah’s mom was Cree and Iroquois, and her father was a Metis Veteran. She grew up in a very traditional Metis family in the countryside, along with eight siblings. Her father was an accomplished fiddler and avid hunter and her mom loved to dance, do beadwork, canning, and speaking Cree! Deborah graduated from “The Aboriginal Digital Filmmaking Program” at the Native Education Centre in Vancouver. Storytelling through digital media based on Indigenous teachings and culture, creating and collaborating on short films and documentaries. She is a writer, poet, and dancer. She also graduated from Kairos Yoga Studio as a Yoga Instructor, working with Indigenous youth at risk combining yoga teachings, and Metis culture, teaching meditation, postures, and mindful breathing. Her Yoga physicality transformed into free-form dance and then Metis Dancing with Vini Dansi from 2009 – 2013. Deborah rejoined Vini Dansi in October 2021. Deborah has written a collection of poetry over a 25-year span. Her first collection entitled “When the Sun Turned Dark” and has started a second collection entitled “Metis Spirit”.
Meet the Team
These are our award winning filmmakers who help us make masterpieces
