Ryan Begay was born in Gallup, New Mexico and grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona. Originally from the Diné Nation, his clans are Many Goats, born for Water Flowing Together, his Maternal Grandfathers are Salt and his Paternal Grandfathers are Big Water. He served five years in the US Air Force as a Space Systems Operator. After his service he continued as Satellite Systems Engineer. In his free time, he began pursuing his fascination for film. He enrolled into a production class at the Colorado Film School in Denver, Colorado. It was there that he found his passion and love for Filmmaking. He moved to northern New Mexico and completed his BFA in New Media from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "The Indian Within" was his first short film, which screened from the US Southwest to the Northwest corner of Ontario, Canada. The film became a teaching tool at Cal State Dominguez Hills addressing the themes of empire and language found in film. Along with writing and Directing, he added DP to the list in his next short, "Ignite", which premiered at ImagineNATIVE in Toronto, then went on to air on RTVE in Madrid, Spain and recently screened in New York at the Tribeca Film Center. He has persevered through many obstacles with his most recently completed northern New Mexico short, "Carpio". After Ryan's move to New Mexico, a newfound passion for acting emerged. He has appeared in many short films but not until "Blaze You Out" (2011) did he realized his love for movies encompasses more than working behind the camera. He has since gone on to perform in many New Mexico film productions both Independent and Big Budget Feature Films as well as notable New Mexico TV series. He continues to Write, Direct and Act as well as develop ideas for a stronger Diné/Native American presence in Film and Television both in front of and behind the camera. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Ryan Begay
