Senior Oral History Project

About the filmmaker: Maryan Tooker

University Foundations Throughout her 25-year career at the University of Nevada, Reno, Maryan has combined technical knowledge and experience with cultural sensitivity, ensuring that productions both inform and honor the communities they represent. Her roles have ranged from field production support and management to videographer. These experiences provided her with a strong foundation in both the technical and human dimensions of storytelling, shaping her approach to future documentary work.

Pixel Junction Studio (Px) Pixel Junction Studio (Px) was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that allowed Maryan to pause and reflect on her artistic path moving forward. Building on her Master of Fine Arts studies at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, she discovered a renewed vision: by photography, illustration, or creating videos, Maryan integrates a multidisciplinary approach to her artistic expression as part of this new path, enabling her to connect with people and places in diverse and meaningful ways.

Travels in Peru In 2023 and 2024, Maryan traveled with the Nevada Building Hope Foundation to the Amazon region of Peru. These journeys inspired the creation of the Senior Oral History Project. She recognized the urgency of preserving voices that carry generations of knowledge yet remain at risk of being lost. Her Amazon experiences became a turning point, transforming her vision from academic practice into a mission of cultural preservation and their global implications.

Senior Oral History Project As the creative lead of the Senior Oral History Project, Maryan now brings together her skills as an artist, videographer, and historian.  Scheduled to begin production in March 2026, the project will record seniors’ stories in Ayacucho, San Juan de Yanayacu, and Junin villages, creating a living archive accessible to educators, researchers, and local communities. She also serves on NBHF’s Board of Directors as historian and website manager, applying her expertise in photography, videography, and graphic design to document and share the foundation’s work with the communities it supports.

Documentary Film Experience Maryan has combined multimedia experience with cultural sensitivity, ensuring that productions both inform and honor the communities they represent. Her roles have ranged from providing field production support and management to videographer; her work demonstrates a commitment to capturing stories of historical and spiritual significance with respect and authenticity.

Click on the button below to explore her complete collection.

We’re not just making a video, and storytelling is much more than entertainment; it is a way of preserving identity, building empathy, and shaping collective memory. These voices carry generations of wisdom that remain largely undocumented and increasingly at risk of being lost to time.

To achieve this mission, we seek funding to support the following key areas: 

• Travel Expenses: Transportation, lodging, meals, a/v equipment transportation fees, and filming permits.
• Production Equipment: Acquire professional-grade field video gear to expand the current inventory, including a cinema camera, portable lighting kit, audio recording kit, and production support items.
  
• Translation and Transcription Services: Language translation while on-set, for the interview transcripts, and delivering precise subtitles that make the final cut clear and accessible to a wider audience.
• Consulting Support:  We are committed to cultural authenticity and accountability, partnering with respected consultants to ensure sensitivity, respect, and credibility. Their guidance safeguards against misrepresentation and positions the film as a trusted, impactful work.
• Post-Production: Editing, sound design, color correction, and other finishing processes.
• Distribution: We will showcase the film through festivals, community events, fundraisers, digital platforms, and educational partnerships—building visibility while laying the groundwork for future projects already in development.
• Honoraria: Provide fair compensation to seniors who share their stories, recognizing their contributions.

Together, we can make history!