Film buffs will flocks to San Francisco for the 30th annual American Indian Film Festival. Plus details on other special events of Native interest across North America.
Film buffs should look toward San Francisco for the historic, 30th annual staging of the American Indian Film Festival, the oldest and most prestigious event of its kind in the world, being held this year Nov. 5–12.
Some 60 films and videos by and about American Indians or Canadian First Nations peoples will be screened this year, including feature films, documentaries, documentary shorts, dramatic shorts, music videos, animated shorts, PSAs and industrial films. Leading the bill is the world premiere of the independent feature-length film Sleepdancer, by Roderick Pocowatchit (Pawnee/Shawnee/Comanche) of Kansas, and the screening of Hank Williams First Nation, starring Gordon Tootoosis.
The festival will launch at the Galaxy Theater and conclude at the extravagant 1,000-seat Palace of Fine Arts on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 with awards presentations, live comedy and music. Dividing up the comedic roles will be Don Burnstick, Charlie Hill, Drew Lacapa, and James and Ernie. Music will be provided by Rita Coolidge, new Capitol recording artist Crystal Shawanda, Lummi violinist Swil Kanim and Tamara Podemski.
“I really never dreamed we’d come this far,” notes Michael Smith (Dakota), director the festival’s parent organization, the American Indian Film Institute. “When we organized the first festival (in Seattle, under the auspices of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation), I thought of it as a one-time event. It’s been a huge learning process for me.”
While begun modestly, the festival has had an immense impact on the film industry. It has nurtured the dreams of young Native filmmakers to begin telling the Native story from the Native perspective, encouraged Hollywood and independent filmmakers to create films that more accurately portray the Native experience, and served as a forum for networking among Native and non-Native film professionals. Over its 30-year history, the festival has screened more than 800 films and videos, including premieres of Dances with Wolves and other groundbreaking works, both entertaining and educating the general public about Native life, culture, history and concerns.
In addition to the festival, the institute sponsors a touring film program to reservations across the U.S. and Canada, screening films and holding week-long workshops for youth. The goal, Smith explains, is to “combine education with celebration through the power of good storytelling, and to transform the film industry’s image of Native people, and in the process, transform ourselves.” It is an ambitious goal, but one the festival and institute can proudly say is well under way.
For further details, write to 333 Valencia St., Suite 322, San Francisco, CA 94103, call 415/554-0525 or visit www.aifisf.com.
Elsewhere
Plop down on the sofa for the PBS broadcasts of the outstanding documentary films Race Is the Place; Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action; Aleut Story; Indian Casinos: What’s Next; The Native Word: Stories Past and Present and other Native-themed programs throughout the month of November. Check local listings for dates and times. Homeland is also now available on DVD, at www.katahdin.org, 510/666-0866.
Get your popcorn and take a seat for the 9th annual Native American Indian Film and Video Festival, Nickelodeon Theater, Columbia, SC, Nov. 1–5, sponsored by the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United tribes of South Carolina. The festival includes feature films, music videos and documentaries. Details: Dr. Will Goins, 803/699-0446 or e-mail TayGoinRes@aol.com
Don’t miss the 15th annual Intertribal Marketplace, Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, Nov. 4–6, kicking off with a members’ preview reception the evening of Nov. 4. On Saturday and Sunday, view and purchase top notch works from more than 100 artists, enjoy live music and dance, and fill up on Native fare. $10 admission for nonmembers. 323/667-2000 or www.autrynationalcenter.org
The curtain rises again on Native Voices at the Autry, Wells Fargo Theater, Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, Nov. 18–20, the acclaimed theatrical series launched in 2000 by Randy Reinholz (Choctaw) and Jean Bruce Scott. The works, written, directed and performed by Native talent, consist of The Red Road, written by Arigon Starr (Kickapoo/Creek) on Nov. 18; Tombs of the Vanishing Indian by Marie Clements (Metis) on Nov. 19; and Stone Heart: Everyone Loves a Journey West by Diane Glancy (Cherokee) on Nov. 20. Admission to all three plays is free, but reservations are highly recommended. 323/667-2000, ext. 354
Spend a day at the 16th annual Navajo Rug Show & Sale at Deer Valley Resort, Park City, UT, Nov. 10–13, a benefit for the noteworthy Adopt-a-Navajo Elder program (see Nov./Dec. 2003 issue). In addition to the display and sale of fine Navajo weavings, activities will include a Young Miss Navajo Princess pageant, a grandmothers’ roping contest, Western music, a small powwow, and wool carding, spinning and weaving demonstrations. Some 25 elders and their families will be present. A special reception on Nov. 11 will include live entertainment, an auction and discounted rug sales. 435/649-0535 or www.anelder.org
Go West to the American Indian Art Market, Museum of Natural History, Pacific Grove, CA, Nov. 12–13 to peruse and purchase handmade works from 15 or so Native artisans, enjoy live music and watch art demonstrations. Free admission. 209/754-9220
Drop by for a screening of the film The Return of Navajo Boy with director Jeff Spitz and an exhibition of art by John Watt at Galeria Mistica, Tucson, AZ, Nov. 19, 1–4 p.m. 520/622-8000
Get a jump of Christmas shopping at the Arts & Crafts Holiday Fair, California State Indian Museum, Sacramento, Nov. 25–26. Native California craftspeople from all over the state will sell and demonstrate their artwork, including jewelry, beadwork, silver work, pottery and ornaments. Free with museum admission. 916/324-0971 or www.parks.ca.gov
Motor over to the 9th annual American Indian Holiday Craft Sale, Turning Stone Resort, Oneida Nation, NY, Nov. 26–27, where some 20 Native artists, predominantly from the local region, will sell wood and bone carvings, beadwork, jewelry, moccasins and other works. Free admission. 315/829-8324 or www.oneidanews.net
Visit Winter Market, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, Dec. 3, where some 30 regional Native and non-Native artists will gather to sell their work, including gourd art, baskets, glassworks, leatherworks, beadworks, pottery, furniture and fine arts. Also enjoy music by Cricket Creek. Free with museum admission. 317/636-9378 or www.eiteljorg.org
Attend Winter Count Artist Market, All Nations Indian Church, Minneapolis, Dec. 3–4 and Dec. 10–11, organized by Two Rivers Gallery of the Minneapolis American Indian Center. Some 25 to 40 artists are expected to display and sell their works, along with Native foods. 612/879-1780 or www.maicnet.org
Check out the 10th annual Celebration of Basketry and Native Foods Festival, Heard Museum, Phoenix, Dec. 4–5, organized by the nonprofit group Tohono O’odham Community Action. The event features more than 250 of the nation’s finest basket weavers, who will demonstrate their work processes and show and sell their hand-woven masterpieces. Plus, more than a dozen traditional Native food vendors will sell delicious foods and demonstrate both traditional and contemporary food preparations and recipes. 602/252-8840 or www.heard.org
Shop ’til ya drop at the 29th annual Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market at Steele Park (Indian School between Central Avenue and Seventh Street) in Phoenix, Dec. 10–11. More than 450 Native artists representing more than 60 tribes will display and sell a wide range of fine, handmade artwork. Also watch dancing by several groups and enjoy live music, Native foods, a fashion show, children’s storytelling and demonstrations. 602/495-0901 or www.pgmarket.org
Head to sunny Florida for the 31st annual Miccosukee Indian Arts Festival, Miccosukee Indian Village, near Miami, Dec. 26–Jan. 1. This popular festival includes performances by regional dance groups, sales of arts and crafts by Florida Native artisans, alligator wrestling, airboat races and other attractions. 305/223-8380 or www.miccosukee.com