Diné director breaks into mainstream TV
WINDOW ROCK
Courtesy photo
The “Grey’s Anatomy” director’s clapboard bears the name of Diné filmmaker Sydney Freeland.
“The crew was amazing,” Sydney Freeland said about being a guest director on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” The Navajo filmmaker directed Episode 20 of Season 14 earlier this month.
“The cast was amazing,” she added. “It was an honor and I was privileged to work with people who were so good at what they do.” “Grey’s Anatomy” is a medical drama television show that airs on ABC and follows the life of Dr. Meredith Grey.
Over the last 14 seasons, the show has garnered over 60 awards including two Golden Globes. It also has over 200 nominations from Primetime Emmy Awards to the Screen Actors Guild Award to GLAAD Media Awards. “It was like everyone was so good at what they do there was almost like an effortlessness to it,” Freeland said.
Freeland is an award-winning director from Gallup and is most well known for her feature film “Drunktown’s Finest.” “With ‘Drunk Town’s Finest,’ that was an independent film. And so I was the writer and director. But because it’s indie film, you’re also wearing a lot of other hats,” she said. “You’re doing a little bit of costume design, a little bit of location scouting, a little bit this, a little bit of that.
“With something like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ you can just focus on the directing,” Freeland said. Besides that, everything else was similar, she said. “You need to get your shots, get your performances and make your day,” she said.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow