The Oneida Indian Nation’s Four Directions Productions received its first three awards for the animated short film, My Home. They include nods at the Syracuse International Film Festival, California’s Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, and The Indie Fest. Four Directions Productions hopes for more awards as the film festival season unfolds.

My Home follows Eli, a young Oneida boy on his first fishing trip, as he listens to Grandfather recall a story from the rich oral tradition of the Oneida Indian people, passed down from generation to generation. It’s a tale about a gentle turtle and what happens when her peaceful world gets turned upside down.

Oneida Indian Nation Representative and My Home Executive Producer Ray Halbritter said, “We make films like My Home to preserve the Oneida Indian culture for the seventh generation. These animated shorts allow us to share our legends with the world. It is gratifying when we receive recognition from the film industry through these awards.”

My Home received a Director’s Citation for Best Animation at the Syracuse International Film Festival, a Gold Award for Best Animated Film at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, and an Award of Excellence for Animation at The Indie Fest. Fewer than 15 percent of entries receive the Indie Fest Award of Excellence.

Other international film festivals considering My Home for recognition include the WorldKids International Film Festival, the Oaxaca FilmFest, the Tenerife International Film Festival, and the DOK Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film.

Four Directions Productions expects My Home and a reissue of its multiple award-winning first animated short, Raccoon and Crawfish to be available on Blu-Ray and DVD by this year’s holiday season.

About Four Directions Productions

One of the first production studios owned by American Indians, Four Directions Productions runs its award-winning operation just east of the city of Oneida, New York. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, Four Directions Productions focuses its skill and creative energy on projects large and small, from corporate videos, television commercials, and documentaries to full-color print packages and 3D animated short films.