Keep Talking follows four Alaska Native women fighting to save Kodiak Alutiiq, an endangered language now spoken by less than 40 remaining fluent Native Elders. Their small community travels to remote Afognak Island to start teaching kids Alutiiq. Sadie, 13, is inspired to begin learning the language and dances of her ancestors. Instead of getting swept up in the wake of historical trauma, these women overcome personal demons and build toward a brighter future. Keep Talking reveals the ultimate impact of language and culture revitalization; joy and hope.

Film makers:

Karen Lynn Weinberg

Director

Karen’s editing credits include Spilled Water (PBS Broadcast), One Night Stand (nationwide theatrical release, Ovation channel; also Associate Produced), Certainty (Boston Film Festival ‘Best Editing’ award, theatrical release), episodes of MysteryQuest and Clash of the Gods (the History Channel), and the documentary short, Hard Earned

Lesley Kubistal

Editor

Lesley is an Emmy nominated television and documentary film editor with over fifteen years of experience in narrative-driven projects, which range from reality docudramas to feature-length documentaries. Some of her television work includes the Emmy-nominated series Inside 9/11 for The National Geographic Channel, award-winning segments and series for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and the Emmy Award winning series Super Soul Sunday for the OWN network.

Gordon Quinn

Founder and Senior Advisor/Executive Producer

Artistic Director and founding member of Kartemquin Films, Gordon Quinn has been making documentaries for over 50 years. Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun Times, called his first film Home for Life (1966) “an extraordinarily moving documentary.” With Home for Life Gordon established the direction he would take for the next four decades, making cinéma vérité films that investigate and critique society by documenting the unfolding lives of real people.

Justine Nagan

Executive Producer
From 2008-2015, Justine led Kartemquin Films as Executive Director as well as being an Executive Producer on each new film. She was responsible, in concert with the Board of Directors, for creating and implementing the strategic vision for Kartemquin. Justine successfully transitioned to the ED role in a historic founder-led organization, and made major strides in building a foundation for long-term sustainability.