Elliat Graney-Saucke Pro

Elliat Graney-Saucke is a documentary filmmaker, educator, researcher, networker, curator and innovative organizer. Her interests are focused on: cultural equity and intergenerational knowledge exchange; looking at inspiring values and assets of organizations and groups through storytelling; and utilizing creativity, organization and vision to realize great ideas.

Since 2000, Elliat has been directing and producing films in the US and Europe through Contrast Vision Productions. Beginning media production education at the Evergreen State College at age 14, she has produced a body of over 20 short films and one completed feature documentary. Currently in production is her second feature documentary Boys on the Inside, about ‘boy’ culture in women’s prisons. Nominated as a 2018 Fly Film Challenge filmmaker (SIFF and Washington Film Works), Elliat produced The Resilience of King Khazm, about wheelchair bound hip hop artist and organizer King Khazm, exploring his family history in Japanese internment camps. Elliat currently teaches film with Northwest Film Forum.

While based in Berlin, Germany from 2009-2015, Elliat gained a Masters Degree in World Heritage Studies as well as founding, directing, and curating the trans-disciplinary conference Innovate Heritage: Conversations between Arts and Heritage in partnership with colleague Caterina Benincasa (Italy). With participants from forty-five countries, the conference had organizational partnerships with German Commission for UNESCO, British Council, Brandenburg University of Technology, Center for Art and Urbanism and Oriental Heritage Without Borders. While in Berlin, Elliat additionally founded the conference project Femme Hive as well as various performing arts showcases. Since 2000, she has held organizational responsibilities in the internationally recognized festivals Lady Fest, Homo-a-gogo, Copenhagen Queer Festival, Queer Zagreb and the Autumn Plenary: Athens, Greece for IETM (international network for contemporary performing arts). Elliat was also the founding director of the Seattle festival The Bend-It Extravaganza(2003-2011).

As  Media Documentation Research Lead on the NEA funded multimedia The Knowledge Building Initiative from 2014-2018, Elliat documented the oral history of the National Performance Network (NPN/VAN). This led to her current role as a Consultant focused on leadership and entrepreneurial training for artists within the Certified Creative Districts at ArtsWA/Washington State Arts Commission. Elliat is currently the Executive Director of the Seattle Documentary Association, a member of S.A.L.T. (Seattle Arts Leadership Team – Office of Arts and Culture), and on the Washington Film Leadership Council of Washington Filmworks. 
 

Education
M.A. in World Heritage Studies from the Brandenburg University of Technology 2015
B.A. in Cultural Studies from Goddard College 2011
General Studies from Seattle Central College 2003
Film Studies from Evergreen State College 1998

Awards | Residencies
Project Grant, 4Culture – 2019
Nominated Fly Filmmaker, SIFF & Washington Film Works – 2018
Nominated Artists Up Coach, 4Culture | Office of Arts and Culture | ArtsWA – 2018
Documentary Film Jury, TWIST Film Festival – 2018
Third Place Prize, TWIST 3-day film challenge – 2016
Successful ‘Greenlight’ Crowdfunding Campaign, Seed&Spark – 2016
Fellow | Millay Artist Colony Residency, Artist Trust – 2016
smArt Ventures Grant, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture – 2016
Guest Artist in Residence, Hypatia Artist Residency – 2016
Erasmus Scholarship, European Commission – 2013
Wir für Demokratie / We for Democracy, Mayor of Cottbus, DE – 2013
Guest Artist in Residence, University of Saarbrücken – 2010
Individual Artist Grant, 4Culture – 2009
Project Grant, Pride Foundation – 2008
Guest Artist in Residence, University of Vienna – 2007
Leadership Fellow, Washington State Department of Health – 2005, 2008
Guest Artist in Residence, University of Minnesota – 2006
Art for Social Change, Lifelong Aids Alliance – 2004
LGBT Scholarship, GSBA – 2004
Cherry Award, Seattle LGBT Community Center – 2004
Video Artist Residency, DiverseWorks – 2002

Select Film Festival Screenings
SIFF Film Channel on Alaskan Airlines (US)
SIFF | Seattle International Film Festival (US)
BFI/London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (England)
Oslo Skeive Filmer Film Festival (Norway)
Lesbisch Schwule Filmtage Hamburg (Germany)
STEPS International Rights Film Festival (Ukraine)
Cork Film Festival (Ireland)
Red Dawns Queer Feminist Festival (Slovenia)
Paris LGBT Film Festival “Cheries-Cheris” (France)
Vancouver Queer Film Festival (Canada)
VinoKino (Finland)
MIX NYC (US)