Northern Monday Films is a nonprofit nonfiction media production company dedicated to amplifying true stories of human rights and human migration.
We are migrant artists and allied producers helping to support refugee artists.
Who we are
What we do
We help migrant and refugee-identified artists and activists connect and collaborate on documentary projects.
You don’t have to be a filmmaker to make a film with us! You can get involved on someone else’s project, or start your own. We are committed to paying artists professional wages for production work.
What we do
We provide services to migrant and refugee artists of all backgrounds who want to make films but aren’t necessarily filmmakers. Through our Impact Lab, our Artist-in-Exile Fund, and our Fiscal Sponsorship program, we provide access to production equipment; culturally competent crew; artist-to-artist mentoring; grant writing support; social impact planning; and fiscal sponsorship.
Impact Lab
Through our Refugee Voices program, we offer mentorships and production capacity for Minnesota-based immigrants, refugees, and their allies who want to write and direct impactful short documentaries.
Northern Monday provides access to:
Production
equipment
Artist-to-artist
mentoring
Grant-writing
support
Fiscal
sponsorship
Our Team
Meet the innovative, driven and creative individuals behind the scenes.
Staff
Ariel Tilson, Impact Producer
Ariel is a working documentary filmmaker. Her projects range from Emmy-nominated feature length documentaries for broadcast to nationally distributed digital video content.
Ishwari Rajak, Development Director
Ishwari holds dual master’s degrees in Non-Profit Leadership and Gender and Women’s Studies from Minnesota State University. She is a filmmaker activist originally from Nepal.
Stephen Ngang, Digital Manager
Stephen combines the digital management skills of Cypher from The Matrix with the heart of Morpheus. Born in Cameroon, Stephen is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Victoria Kab Vang, Story Artist
Victoria is a Hmong Minnesotan graphic designer who graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a BFA in 2017.
Nathan Fisher, Deputy Director
Nathan is a freelance writer-producer and video editor based in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has also directed two feature-length films and over a dozen short films.
Adam Khelah, Production Assistant
Adam is a Palestinian-Minnesotan film student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
Board Members
Michael Wentworth, Chair & Ex. Dir.
Michael is the Acting Branch Librarian at the Union City Library in California.
Kristina Lund
Kristina is a workers’ compensation judge for the state of Minnesota.
Eric Harris
Eric has launched digital campaigns for clients like Sean John, Pharoe Monch, and the NBA.
Nagessa Dube
Nagessa holds a law degree from the University of Addis Ababa.
Helen Seestadt, Treasurer
Helen is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a proud K-12 graduate of Minneapolis Public Schools.
Alon Gotesman
Alon is a digital strategist born in Haifa, Israel, and raised in Lubbock, Texas. He lives in San Francisco.
Alse Freeman
Alse is a freelance documentary producer focused on housing justice and climate change.
Partners and funders past and present
