WINNIPEG and SANTA FE, NM – Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) has announced plans to launch a new service in the U.S. called All Nations Network (ANN).
Headquartered in New Mexico, ANN will be the first network south of the border to provide native news, sports, scripted, lifestyle, feature-length movies and children's programming written, produced, and directed by Native Americans, among others. Network distribution in the U.S. is being represented by Castalia Communications.
"We think the time is right for Native Americans to have their own channel and are happy to see the positive discussions Castalia has had with major U.S. Pay TV operators," said APTN CEO Jean La Rose, in Friday’s news release. "Certainly, our experience in Canada has been one of creating and providing opportunities for our producers, for our storytellers, to tell our stories, in our words, to our Peoples and to the world. Native American producers are poised and eager to have the same opportunities and we believe that we can work together to provide a unique window into the lives – past, present and future – of this community."
In the midst of the discourse over the lack of diversity in Hollywood, actor and director Robert Redford, actor Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves), Robbie Robertson (The Band) and director Jim Jarmusch have joined in endorsing the network, according to the release.
Native American filmmaker Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals and Friday Night Lights), is a Sundance Film Festival and Director's Guild of America award-winner who will help to launch All Nations Network.
"In 2016, it is essential that progressive portrayals of Native Americans be available to all cable and satellite subscribers through the efforts of ANN's mission to provide a 24/7 channel for true Native American content of all kind”, he said. “It's not an abstract and this channel is long overdue."
The first national Aboriginal television network in the world when it debuted more than 15 years ago, APTN is available in approximately 11 million Canadian households and broadcasts programming with 56% offered in English, 16% in French and 28% in Aboriginal languages.
