Mary has been producing media on social issues topics in Alaska since 1980. After graduating from NYU graduate film school, she began combining creative narrative and classic documentary styles through her nonprofit media organization, Affintyfilms, Inc. Her films have focused on vulnerable populations of women, children and indigenous people of Alaska and have been on PBS, at Sundance, MOMA, and used in intimate settings for smaller, local changes in public awareness, attitude and justice. Her over 40 titles include In the Wake of Justice Delayed, About Face, Sea of Oil, Backing Out of Time, Day in Our Bay, And Now We Rise, World School, ten films for The Arc of Anchorage and six films about breast cancer awareness. “Cause and art must be balanced to create meaningful media which can move the heart to change.” Current works in progress include “Justice Delayed” about systemic obstacles to lowering violence rates against women in Alaska, and “Beyond Pink Ribbons” about the importance of genetic testing and metastatic breast cancer. She has recently traveled to Tunisia to teach screenwriting on a FulBright Scholarship, and was the 2024 recipient of the Governor’s Individual Artist of the Year.
www.affinityfilms.org