A filmmaker, member of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation and long-time Yukoner is the most recent candidate hoping to run in the upcoming territorial election.

Carol Geddes announced today she is seeking the NDP nomination for the Pelly-Nisutlin riding.

Geddes was born on the shores of Teslin Lake and says she has entered politics to ensure the territory's environment is conserved for today's youth.

But Geddes emphasized that she is not against development. She actually regards herself as a business-minded individual.

"I'm not anti-development,” Geddes told the Star this morning. "We all need jobs and a strong economy.”

The artist's keyword is "balance”. She believes we need to make the land a priority, and everything from there will fall into place.

"Prices for minerals are very high right now, and the Yukon is a place that's so rich in resources,” said Geddes. "There is a high level of development, but we need to have balance.”

Geddes is also interested in ensuring strong cultural policies within the territory to ensure the Yukon is reflected in a "way that we want it to be reflected.”

The filmmaker says she has been an NDP supporter her whole life.

Geddes holds a bachelor of arts degree from Carleton University in Ottawa and a graduate degree in communications from Concordia University in Montreal.

While studying in Ottawa, Geddes worked as an assistant to Yukon MP Erik Nielsen. She said her time with the late Conservative MP taught her about the value of forming grassroots connections with constituents.

"Erik's rigorous attention to constituency issues helped me understand the true meaning of being the people's representative,” she said.

Geddes has received several national and international awards for her film work and has taught the craft of screenwriting at the Banff Centre in Alberta.

She was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2002 for her contribution to the cultural community of the Yukon.

She said although it seems "really strange” making the leap from artistry to politics, there is a crossover between the two media and the transition won't be too difficult.

"There's actually quite a bit of politics in the film world,” she said.

As for pulling back on film projects, Geddes says it's a "little regrettable.

"The creative life is not always non-stop, well, at least not for me,” said Geddes.

"It's not one project after another, so I don't feel like I'm necessarily eliminating something important by going into politics.”

Geddes said she has lived in the Yukon for so long because she is continues to marvel at the beauty of the land.

"This is home. This is where I am creative and where my people are,” she said. "I love this land.”

An NDP nomination meeting has not been set for Pelly-Nisutlin.

The riding's current MLA, Marian Horne of the Yukon Party, has yet to announce whether she will seek a second term.