Tribes Wins Award in Accolade Global Film Competition

Nashville, TN – March 20, 2017 – Tribes, a Mindwiring Production, has won a prestigious (Best of Show, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit or Award of Recognition from The Accolade Global Film Competition.

Executive Producer and Videographer, Sheyla Paz Hicks, announced that the award was for “Recognition of Social Change Through Film and Video.”

The story: A young Native girl’s identity struggle is revealed in the lyric of a beautiful song – her friend must find her, but he’s afraid – some would rather die than spend another day in the greatest country on Earth. The actors: (The Rider) Chad Singer; (The Girl) Hannah Tomeo; (The Fire Dancers) Levi Shanklin-Bob, and Nathan Fulton with Loryn Moore; Justinian Benally, Terai Shanklin-Bob, Sara Joe; “Cash” the Horse, and the pupils of Mrs. Ashkie-Hubble of St Michael Indian School, Window Rock, Az., in Window Rock Arizona and Washington State provided the perfect talents and scenery for this production. But this project wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing and talented voices of Rapper: Lightfoot Wiley, vocals by Kristy Duru. The song Iroquois Chant was written and recorded by Joanne Shenandoah.

“When my dear friend Roger Hill told me about working on this project and the location where we were going to film and its purpose, I couldn’t resist and said yes. I’m so happy to know that our work is recognized and that it will help a community in need,” says Sheyla Paz Hicks, Tribes – Executive Producer

The Accolade recognizes film, television, videography and new media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film and television industry. Information about the Accolade and a list of recent winners are at www.accoladecompetition.org.

“A 14-year-old, at-risk girl, hangs herself from a tree and takes her life. Just another day in Indian Country – but for me, the start of a quest to try and find out why so many young Native Americans take their lives. I spoke to many people from Senators to Native Americans to African Americans to nearly every race in America. I began to realize how difficult it was even to highlight it in some way. It aroused a gamut of deep-seated emotions from sensitivity to apathy to anger. So, I decided to make a music-based video to highlight the issue, with two things in mind, compassion, and integrity,” says Roger Hill – Director of Tribes

“I wrote the music and planned the story, and then asked my friend Sheyla Paz Hicks to work with me on the video. Thankfully, Sheyla, a multi-talented artist, videographer, and Producer in her own right, agreed, and the project was born. Many twists in the making of the video followed, but finally,
it was completed,” continued Mr. Hill. “Tribes is not a video about pointing fingers of blame, but about joining hands in unity to try and help vulnerable young Americans. Hopefully, this recognition of our work by the Accolade Global Film Festival will contribute to bringing that goal a little closer,” added Mr. Hill

In winning an Accolade, Tribes, joins the ranks of other high-profile winners of this internationally respected award including the Oscar-winning production such as: The Lady in Number Six by Malcolm Clarke, the very talented Dave Bossert of Disney for his short documentary, The Tunes Behind The Toons, Hollywood industry veteran Ron Howard for When You Find Me and Highwire Films Australia for their popular ABC TV series Twentysomething. Rick Prickett, who chairs The Accolade Global Film Competition, had this to say about the latest winners, “The Accolade is not an easy award to win. The Accolade receives entries from around the world from powerhouse companies to remarkable new talent. The Accolade helps set the standard for craft and creativity. The judges were pleased with the exceptionally high quality of entries. The goal of The Accolade is to help winners achieve the recognition they deserve.”

About Mindwiring

A new bi-lingual website dedicated to out of the ordinary music videos, animation, and great songs. Our purpose is entertainment. We want to show the funny, the memorable, the catchy and the beautiful. We will release songs, and video’s in English and Spanish in various genres. We want to reach out to people and entertain them. We have a great dedicated team behind the scenes including Sheyla Paz Hicks multi-talented media star and our Hispanic project manager. Prepare to get Mindwired!  www.mindwiring.com

About Roger Hill

Songs published by Peer, EMI, Chrysalis, Cookaway, Grenyoko, and Beatles producer George Martin’s legendary Air London, which originally had the Fab Four’s catalog. Ivor Novello Award recognition for services to British Songwriting and inductee in the International Songwriters Association Hall of Fame. The writer of “When You Are a King,” a hit in 26 territories and which was translated into Hebrew and has been steadily selling in Israel for the last 30 years (currently re-recorded by star singer Shlomo Artzi and a hit again). Jingles for companies include Cadburys Chocolate, station ident for Trouble TV and a song featured in Jude Law’s major film release, Love Honor, and Obey. Three cuts since arriving in Nashville and looking for the first big hit there.

About Sheyla Paz

Originally from Cuba with a degree in Music Education, Sheyla has worked as a music teacher, a music band Manager and Producer in Cuba also performed with a group before moving to the United States in December of 2000. After years of working as a model and actress in her new hometown of Nashville, Tennessee; Sheyla launched her production company, Paz Communications. She produced a TV show called Spanish-TV, a 30-minute show featuring the local news as well as entertainment news, public school information, health issues, cooking recipes, local events and more to the Spanish-speaking population in Middle Tennessee.

In May 2012, guided by the demand for more online content targeting the growing Latino population in the U.S., Sheyla launched ENTERTAINMENT CIRCLE NETWORK (ECN) as an online channel. Throughout her career as TV producer and the host of her TV show, Ms. Paz has interviewed José Feliciano, Oscar De La Renta, Carrie Underwood, Film Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritú, Oscar De Leon, Robin Roberts, and much more. Sheyla is very involved in the local community, doing volunteer work with the Art2Stem program at Alignment Nashville and the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools as well as the Tennessee Latin American Chamber. She currently serves on the board of directors of Women in Film & TV Nashville.

Iroquois Chant: Written and recorded by Joanne Shenandoah and her daughter Leah especially for the project. Grammy winner Joanne is a Ph.D. and one of the most critically acclaimed musicians of her time. She has performed before His Holiness, The Dali Lama, Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev to name but a few and at 5 Presidential Inaugurations. Joanne is a member of the Wolf Clan of the Oneida Nation and a direct descendant of Chief Shenandoah who was given a “Peace Medal” by George Washington.

“Joanne Shenandoah is one of the finest attributes to Native American Music and Culture.” Neil Young

“She weaves you into a trance with her beautiful Iroquois chants and wraps her voice around you like a warm blanket on a chilly winters night.” Robbie Robertson

Rapper: Lightfoot Wiley – 18-year-old. Born on the Colville Reservation in Washington, Lightfoot is an Arrow Lake Chippewa and is now a local rapper living and working in Spokane Washington. His journey through life has not been easy and ended up with a stay at The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations. This facility is primarily there to treat substance abuse in young people, and Lightfoot owes his development as an artist to the music rehabilitation program at the Lodge.

Vocals: Kristy Duru – 19 years old. She is the only non-Native American performing in the video. Kristy, a Black Londoner, was the first person to try out for the lead vocal and gave such a great performance that no one else came close, so she became the singing voice of Tribes. Kristy has now given up performing to concentrate on her career in the legal profession.

Actors in the short film are:

(The Rider) Chad Singer, (The Girl) Hannah Tomeo, (The Fire Dancers) Levi Shanklin-Bob and Nathan Fulton with Loryn Moore, Justinian Benally, Terai Shanklin-Bob, Sara Joe; “Cash” the Horse, and the pupils of Mrs. Ashkie-Hubble of St Michael Indian School, Window Rock, Az.

For media inquiries please contact:
Sheyla Paz
+1 (615) 426.7214
sheyla@spanish-tvtucanal.com