South Dakota Native Wins Film Festival Award for Best Documentary
Zach Brown loves to tell stories. You may have watched his colorful tales at local comedy clubs in Sioux Falls a few years ago before he moved to the East Coast. Brown, who grew up in South Dakota, is following his passion for storytelling through an additional avenue, documentaries.
Brown saw the plight of those living in a lower income neighborhood of Montclair, New Jersey, where developers of upper-level income properties were buying up properties from landlords and forcing people out of their homes. The documentary, showcasing what seemed to be a lack of planning of affordable housing in the region, won Brown the award of Best Documentary at the National Top Shorts Online Fim Festival.
What project would Brown like to do next? He'd like to return home to South Dakota. "I’m planning on covering some of the struggles of life on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation," said Brown. "There are some shocking statistics having to do with things like education, infant mortality, life expectancy, suicide rate and other facets of life that most people don’t struggle with. I think learning about the harsh reality of life on Pine Ridge would be eye-opening to many people."
Brown hopes the stories he shares will affect change to the benefit of those whose voice might not otherwise be heard.