(Photo: Mino Bimaadiziwin: Grace Dove, Cleo Keahna)
2018 Competition Lineup
Spotlight on #MeToo #TimesUp and Native Women in FILM’s #WhyWeWearRED Call to Action, Taylor Sheridan, Dolores Huerta, and more.
This year’s competition lineup is stacked with both new and returning talent from the Native perspective. This years’ entries are led by Documentaries & Women, including both U.S. and World Cinema sections for narrative features and documentaries.
The festival’s competition: 53 Official Selections. 21 Directed by Women and 10 Student Shorts.
LOS ANGELES, CA. – September 28, 2018. The 23rd RNCI Red Nation International Film Festival (RNIFF) – The Authentic Voice of American Indian & Indigenous Cinema, runs November 5-16.
The 12-day Los Angeles-based festival is proud to announce the official film selection lineup as well as the Festival’s Awards Ceremony, Red is Green Carpet Events, Distribution, Masterclass, Media & Networking, Industry Mixers, Spotlight Exclusives, Two Spirit Series, Centerpiece, Native Coalitions Unite, Native Women in FILM’s Why We Wear RED Call to Action, and Native Youth Films. The Red Nation International Film Festival is the Premier Showcase for Native Independent Film & Television.
The theme of the festival this year is The POWER OF INCLUSION. Films submitted this year from countries include the USA, Canada, Australia, Puerto Rico, Germany, highlight the mission of inclusion for this year’s festival run.
“As a proud member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Founder President of the 23rd RNCI Red Nation International Film Festival, we are honored to partner with such a prestigious university that is also home to the best film program in the country. We are proud to collaborate with the USC Price School of Public Policy, the USC Bedrosian Center on Governance, the USC School of Dramatic Arts and the USC School of Cinematic Arts for the 2018 Red Nation International Film Festival in Opening this year’s Festival at USC.” – Joanelle Romero (actor, award-winning director/ producer)
The Red Nation International Film Festival screenings will be held at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills, CA. The Awards Show will be
November 5 – Producing a live stage reading of the play The Bone Picker by USC alum, Carolyn Dunn.
November 6 – Performance by Richard Aviles (USC Price MPP candidate) followed by a panel discussion on women, race and film titled “The Power of Inclusion: Native Women, Two-Spirit, Race in Media.”
November 7 – Masterclass, details will be forthcoming.
held at the Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts Theater. The RNIFF opening events will be held at USC School of Dramatic Arts.
RNIFF’s Sponsors and Alliance Partners include: https:// rednationff.com/2018-sponsors/
23rd RNCI Red Nation International Film Festival nominations for the RNCI Red Nation Awards will be announced LIVE on Monday morning, October 8, 2018 in Celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day from the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
Red Nation Int’l Film Festival & Awards President Joanelle Romero will be joined by A Martinez (Longmire), Paul Audley (Film LA Inc), Aubrey Hicks (USC School of Public Policy), Why We Wear RED (Media Coalition), to reveal the nominees in 21 categories. More guests will be announce this coming week.
“The Industry’s & Indian Country’s Biggest Night for American Indian & Indigenous Voices.” RNCI Red Nation AwardsTM honors accomplishments of Independent Motion Pictures, Documentaries, Shorts, Television, Comedy and Music which are produced, directed, written, and or starring American Indians. Honorees include individuals who have made advancements in film, radio, television, comedy, media and social justice.
The Awards Ceremony is a Red is Green carpet gala VIP event that regularly draws A-list celebrities and is broadcast LIVE on Red Nation Television Network to 10 million viewers in 37 countries. We are the only Awards Ceremony in the world that has the Marlon Brando Award, personally endorsed by the Brando Family. All our Awards including the Chief Dan George Award, the Edward Albert Jr Award and the Edward R. Roybal Award are endorsed by the namesakes’ families.
Awards will be given in the following categories: Best Picture; Best Director; Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role; Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role; Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role; Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role; Outstanding Supporting Actor in TV Movie, Miniseries, Special, Comedy; Outstanding Supporting Actor in TV Movie, Miniseries, Special, Comedy; Best Documentary Film; Best Short; Live Short Subject & Animated Short; Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dolores Huerta to receive the Edward R. Roybal Award. The full list of Tribute Awards recipients, including recipients of The Brando Award, Edward Albert Jr. Award, The Courage Award, Environmental Award, American Indian Heritage Month Award will be announced on October26th.
2018 Red Nation International Film Festival Line-up:
DRAMATIC COMPETITION
The 4 films in this section are all Festival premieres.
WOMAN WALKS AHEAD (Director: Susanna White, Screenwriter: Steven Knight, Producers: Edward Zwick, Marshall Herovitz, Erika Olde, Rick Solomon, Andrea Calderwood) – Based on true events, Woman Walks Ahead tells the story of Catherine Weldon (Jessica Chastain), a widowed artist from New York who, in the 1880s, traveled alone to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Chief Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes). Her arrival at Standing Rock is met with open hostility by a US Army officer (Sam Rockwell), who has stationed troops around the Lakota reservation to undermine Native American claims to the land. As Catherine and Sitting Bull grow closer, and as their friendship—and his life—are threatened by government forces, Catherine must stand up and fight for what is most important to her. Cast: Jessica Chastain, Michael Greyeyes, Sam Rockwell, Chaske Spencer, Rulan Tangen.
INDIAN HORSE (Canada – Director: Stephen Campanelli, Screenwriter: Dennis Foon, Based on the book Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, Producers: Clint Eastwood, Trish Dolman,Christine Haebler, Paula Devonshire) – Follows the life of Canadian First Nations boy, Saul Indian Horse, as he survives residential school and life amongst the racism of the 1970s. A talented hockey player, Saul must find his own path as he battles stereotypes and alcoholism. Cast: Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck, Ajuawak Kapashesit, Edna Manitowabi, Michael Murphy, Michael Huisman.
THE RIDER (Director/Screenwriter: Chloé Zhao, Producers: Dickey Abedon, Mollye Asher, Sacha Ben Harroche, Anastasia M. Cummings, Corentin De Saedeleer, Bert Hamelinck, Mike Newman, Hannah Reyer, Michael Sagol, Daniel Sbrega, Jasper Thomlinson, Chloé Zhao) – After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America. Cast: Brady Jandreau, Lane Scott, Lilly Jandreau, Cat Clifford, Leroy Pourier, Tanner Langdeau, James Calhoun, Lane Scott.
LAKA (Australia – Director: S. Shakthidharan, Screenwriter: Rosealee Pearson, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, S. Shakthidharan, Producers: Vanessa Hyde, S. Shakthidharan) – Laka is a cross cultural love story that starts with a first kiss in Sydney, Australia, and ends with a birth in the remote Arnhem land bush. For too many years Lily, a Yolngu woman from the Northern Territory, has suppressed her yearning to go home. Now heavily pregnant, visions of her ancestral land have taken over her waking life. Lily believes it’s her unborn child calling out to her, entreating her to be born on country. Cast: Rosealee Pearson, Nicholas Brown.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The 9 films in this section are all Festival & World premieres.
THE RISE & FALL OF THE BROWN BUFFALO (Director: Phillip Rodriguez, Screenwriters: David Ventura, Phillip Rodriguez, Producers: Benicio Del Toro, Alison Sotomayor, Ricardo López, Phillip Rodriguez) – A fresh and genre-defying film about the life of radical Chicano lawyer, author and countercultural icon, Oscar Zeta Acosta — the basis for the character Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, written by his friend, legendary journalist-provocateur Hunter S. Thompson. Relevant now more than ever, this urgent, untold story probes issues of racial identity, criminal justice, and politics, while giving Acosta his due place as a brilliant but troubled man who changed American history.
DIRT MCCOMBER: LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Canada – Directors: Joanne Storkan, Ryan White, Producers: Chris Siracuse, Chris Carpenter, Stu Lisson, Tom Ryan, Chris Sakamoto, Shelby Mitchell Adams, Brant Davis, Joanne Storkan) – Eric “Dirt” McComber is a rugged individualist who provides for his large family by hunting and fishing the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory near Montreal. But he must straddle two worlds to accomplish his many business, family, and societal functions. Adding to this is his passion and dedication to the sport of lacrosse, not just because of its modern-day significance but also because it is the spiritual practice founded by his ancestors, the Iroquois of North America, who for centuries played the game to honor the Creator as well as for the wellness of their native communities.
WE ARE BIRDS: A CALIFORNIA INDIAN STORY (Director/ Screenwriter: Albert Chacon,Producer: Larisa Broyles Chacon) – We Are Birds is a documentary film project that focuses on this movement as experienced by a variety of Elders, Bird Singers and Dancers, and other Cultural Preservationists. Their stories delve into the heart of what bird singing is, how it has changed, and why it is important that Bird Lives On.
UmoNhoN Iye THE OMAHA SPEAKING (Director/Screenwriter: Brigitte Timmerman) – “Our Language is Sacred, no one can take it from us.”–Omaha Elder. Only a handful of Native American fluent speakers remain of the Omaha Tribe. Fluent speaking elders reflect on growing up speaking their native language, the efforts that was taken from the government to phase it out and why it is so important to preserve it. Hopefulness is expressed by the elders and a dedicated group of educators attempts to keep their language alive. Narrated by Tatanka Means.
TVSHKA NOWVT AYA (WARRIORS JOURNEY) (Director: Mark D. Williams) – A documentary about the Choctaw Nation stickball team known as Tvhska Homma (Red Warrior) and their journey to compete in the 2018 World Series of Stickball and the importance of this traditional game to their cultural identity.
SILENT NO MORE (Director: Erin Williams, Producer: White Bison, Inc.) – “Silent No More” is a documentary that seeks to expose the phenomenon of murdered and missing indigenous women in the United States. It was filmed and edited by a 19-year-old student at Duke University who spent the summer as an intern for White Bison, Inc. The film includes heart wrenching interviews with the family members of Native women who have either been murdered or are still missing.
LEITIS IN WAITING (Directors: Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson, Producers: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Sisi’uno Helu.) – The story of Joey Mataele and the Tonga leitis, an intrepid group of native transgender women fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in their South Pacific Kingdom. The film follows Joey, a devout Catholic of noble descent, as she organizes an exuberant beauty pageant presided over by a princess, provides shelter and training for a young contestant rejected by her family, and spars with American-financed evangelicals threatening to resurrect colonial-era laws that would criminalize the leitis’ lives. With unexpected humor and extraordinary access to the Kingdom’s royals and religious leaders, Joey’s emotional journey reveals what it means to be different in a society ruled by tradition, and what it takes to be accepted without forsaking who you are.
THE BLESSING (Directors: Hunter Robert Baker, Jordan Fein, Screenwriter: Ricardo Acosta, Producers: Raoul Max Trujillo, Hunter Robert Baker, Jordan Fein) – Personal and crucial, The Blessing – follows Lawrence, a Navajo coal miner raising his secretive daughter as a single father, struggling with his part in the irreversible destruction of their sacred mountain at the hands of America’s largest coal producer. Made with support from the International Documentary Association, the Points North Institute, and captured over the course of five years, the Emmy® Award winning filmmaking team gain unprecedented access to a family on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Lawrence endures a life-threatening injury and confronts the deep spiritual sacrifice he makes to provide for the people he loves. His daughter, Caitlin, discovers her inner identity and grapples with the expectations of her traditional father, while playing on the men’s varsity football team and being crowned homecoming queen. Closer than ever before, The Blessing bears witness to the unbridled will for survival on the reservation.
THOSE WHO COME, WILL HEAR (Canada – Director/Screenwriter/ Producer: Simon Plouffe) – Those Who Come, Will Hear proposes a unique meeting with the speakers of several indigenous languages of Quebec – all threatened with extinction. The film starts with the discovery of these unsung tongues through listening to the daily life of those who still speak them today. Buttressed by an exploration and creation of archives, the film allows us to better understand the musicality of these languages and reveals the cultural and human importance of these venerable oral traditions by nourishing a collective reflection on the consequences of their disappearance.
TAINO DAKA (Puerto Rico – Director/Producer: Alex Zacarias) – A man is on a journey to reclaim his Caribbean indigenous identity as a Taino. History books say that the Taino People have been extinct for the past 525 years since their first encounter with Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the New World. He is faced with many obstacles both from within and from institutions that continue to keep the Taino People in the past. The Taino are reclaiming their identity and just as history wrote them out of history they are rewriting themselves back into history.
SHORTS COMPETITION
The 20 films in this section are all Festival & World premieres.
THE BALANCE OF TWO WORLDS – A STORY OF THE NAVAJO NATION (Director/Producer: Austin Elder) – Kyle Todecheene was raised 15 miles west of Monument Valley, Utah in a Hogan, a traditional Navajo dwelling, until the age of six where he began his schooling. Finding a balance between embracing a new culture and learning more about his own Navajo culture is what makes Kyle the man he is today. This film takes a closer look into the current lifestyle of a modern Navajo family and how it is mixing with the Western culture of the United States.
GUARDIAN ANCESTOR (Directors: Ryan Craig, Javier Morin, Jr., Producer: Ryan Craig) – Terrance and Sheldon are two 14-year-old boys growing up in a fatherless household on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Each day the two cousins struggle with making the right decisions to better their lives. While Terrance sees fast money and crime as a way out, Sheldon has a different plan after finding a vision through an ancestor in a dream.
MINO BIMAADIZIWIN (Director: Shane McSauby, Producer: Carese Bartlett) – Mino Bimaadiziwin follows Jim, a trans Anishinaabe man, who has lost all connection to his Native culture until he has a chance meeting with a mysterious Anishinaabe woman, Bangishimogikwe.
THE GIRL WHO TALKS TO THE MOON (Canada – Director: Neil Grahn, Producer: Rebecca Campbell, Frederick Kroetsch, Heather Hatch) – The Girl Who Talks to the Moon follows the adventures of an inquisitive girl named Harmony who lives on the magical island of Haida Gwaii. Every night before she falls asleep, the moon gives Harmony a fun task, like learning how to make a kite. In her dreams Harmony completes the task with the help of friendly animals. Along the way she learns about the ancient Haida language through song and play. The show is a combination of stop motion animation, live action and hand puppets.
RAVEN AND THE DOGFISH WOMAN (Canada – Director: Daniel Foreman, Producer: Sharlene Millang) – Join Raven, a magical, mythical creature, in adventures inspired by Pacific West Coast legends. Raven battles monsters, plays with fun-loving friends, and falls in love. Nonnie, our storyteller, teaches us about Canadian First Nations’ culture along the way. In Raven and the Dogfish Woman, Raven transforms into a man and encounters a mysterious woman who is his match in many ways. They fall in love, but she has secrets that drive him mad. Will curiosity get the best of Raven?
RAVEN AND THE SEA WOLF (Canada – Director: Daniel Foreman, Producer: Sharlene Millang) – Angeptu is the most beautiful girl Raven has ever seen! Her mother agrees to their union, IF Raven Man accepts her deadly challenge to defeat the Sea Wolf. Is this an impossible task?
HOW TO HEAL WITHOUT JUSTICE (Director/Producer: Rebecca Nagle) – An open letter, visual poem, and experimental short. In the video, writer and artist Rebecca Nagle speaks directly to a woman who stalked and attacked her, while navigating her own healing without justice, resolution or safety.
THE NEW FRONTIER (Director: Kanani Koster, Producer: Sophia Gutierrez Perez) – A Western reclaiming the Old West and classic Iconography for People of Color and our forgotten histories through 5 vignettes.
CEDAR TREE OF LIFE (Canada – Director: Odessa Shuquaya, Producer: April Johnson) – Three Indigenous women hold knowledge of Cedar, passed down from their grandmothers and mothers. They commune with this sacred tree as they practice and share their culture and art in both traditional and contemporary contexts. Cedar is a life- giver. Cedar is a transformer. Cedar Tree of Life reveals how each woman uses the material/medicine of Cedar and how it expresses itself through them. From garments, to homes, to a burial material for those who have passed on, Cedar was and is inextricably linked to all aspects of life for Salish peoples.
CRAIGLEITH HERITAGE DEPOT: INDIGENOUS HISTORY (Canada – Directors: Tracey Strnad & Tom Strnad) – A short documentary film that explores the Indigenous History of the Craigleith and Blue Mountains region in Ontario, Canada.
CLEAR (Director: Maya Washington, Producers: Tina Nagata Barr, Samantha Manalang, Maya Washington) – CLEAR follows Ember Bearheart Johnson’s first day at home after a 16-year prison sentence for a crime she didn’t commit. Reuniting with her daughter (who was an infant at the time she was incarcerated) is bittersweet as she uncovers how her family’s lives have gone on without her after all these years.
THE HEALING (Canada – Directors: Barb Briggs, Tito Gomez, Producers: Pamela Bebee, Barb Briggs, Tito Gomez) – A drug- addicted woman on the verge of death enters the spirit plain where her ancestral spirits perform a healing dance in the hopes of saving her.
OHERO:KON: UNDER THE HUSK (Canada – Director: Katsitsionni Fox, Producers: Katja Esson, Paul Rickard, Katsitsionni Fox) – “Ohero:kon – Under the Husk” follows the journey of two Mohawk girls as they take part in their traditional passage rites to becoming Mohawk Women. Kaienkwinehtha and Kasennakohe are childhood friends from traditional families living in the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne that straddles the U.S. / Canada border. They both take part in a four- year adolescent passage rites ceremony called Oheró:kon “Under the Husk” that has been revived in their community. This ceremony challenges them spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. It shapes the women they become.
IITOOMINIKII (Director: Kyla Eastman, Producers: War Paint Visions) – The incredible story of suffering, compassion, and resiliency of Blackfeet Fashion Designer Belinda BullShoe.
WANISKA (Canada – Directors: Margaret Reynolds, Rose Bird, Florence Allen, Mary Lee, Preston Gardypie, Willie Ermine, Producer: Andrée Cazabon) – In an extraordinary display of resilience, a group of Elders out on the land address the importance of Indigenous knowledge. These residential school Survivors shine a light on a future where this traditional knowledge system may be called upon to assist humanity. Filmed in the fields and forests of First Nations lands across Saskatchewan, Waniska was envisioned and directed by the Elder’s Circle of the First Nations University of Canada with participation from students. Waniska means ‘to awaken’ in Cree.
SPIRIT (Canada – Director: Tristin Greyeyes) – Two friends watch a movie together and one of them sees something in the window. The friend doesn’t but lights up some smudge and it helps.
RECLAMATION (Germany – Director: Viveka Frost) – A short poetic documentary film about Indigenous Identity.
JUST ONE WORD (Canada – Director: Jani Lauzon, Producers: Kat Germain, Jani Lauzon) – Kim Morin is a successful Metis lawyer surrounded by luxury, security and Contemporary Native Art. Inner peace? Not so much. Kim needs things to be perfect. She wants the wrongs in her community and her family to be right. When she finally tracks down her half-sister Asha who is scarred from years of foster care, carrying bundles of abandonment issues and drinking like a fish, Kim brings out the old Just One Word board game she loved as a child and makes her “to die for” cupcakes.
AN INDIGENOUS RESPONSE TO #METOO (Director: Katsitsionni Fox, Producers: Indigenous Concepts Consulting, Michelle Schenandoah and Neal Powless) – This 28-minute film is a talking circle of Indigenous change makers who address the issue of #MeToo from a culturally informed space, which vastly departs from the mainstream movement. Intended to start group conversations within Indigenous communities, this film highlights change being made by leaning into traditional teachings and ceremonies.
STUDENT FILM COMPETITION
The 10 films in this section are all premieres.
SILENT NO MORE (Director: Erin Williams, Producer: White Bison, Inc.) – “Silent No More” is a documentary that seeks to expose the phenomenon of murdered and missing indigenous women in the United States. It was filmed and edited by a 19-year-old student at Duke University who spent the summer as an intern for White Bison, Inc. The film includes heart wrenching interviews with the family members of Native women who have either been murdered or are still missing.
NATIVE CULTURE (Director/Producers: Viejas Tribe)
DETENTION (Director/Producers: Viejas Tribe)
CULTURAL DOCUMENTARY (Director/Producers: Viejas Tribe)
APPALACHIA (Canada – Director: Peter Lilly, Producer: Victoria Schupp) – 1758, British Colonies. During the French and Indian War, a half-Abenaki man quickly finds himself caught between two rapidly shifting worlds when he journeys into the wilderness with a deranged and deceitful frontiersman.
VOICES OF OUR ANCESTORS (Director/Producer: Joe Yates) – See firsthand on how important your language will affect the way you live. A bi-cultural marriage begins to teach their daughter the heartbeat of their culture with the hope of their language be revitalized.
SISTER’S DIRGE (Canada – Director/Producer: Ty Giffin) – When a young girl goes missing, her family wrestles with grief. Fearing for the worst, her sister takes the law and justice into her own hands.
MISHKEEGOGAMANG (Canada – Writer: Jon Wesselink) – Fresh out of high school, Jon Wesselink always had something he was working on media wise. He worked with two local video production companies in school and worked independently with various contracts and volunteer work. While recently working on documentaries up north, he found it to be important to reveal how the government and citizens treat First Nation people. He hopes through his documentaries that he can find justice for people suffering up north from many repressing laws and stereotypes.
STATISTICS (Canada – Director: Tristin Greyeyes) – A young mother with her daughter and friend encounter two men who fetishize Indigenous women. A month later the mother runs into one of the men who harassed them. She tries to take justice into her own hands but becomes another missing or murdered Indigenous woman.
MONUMENTAL (Director/Producer: Hannah Mattner) – Following the monumental decision to reduce the size of Bears Ears National Monument, one woman sets out to experience the land local Native Americans hold so dear to their hearts.
SPOTLIGHT | FILMS DIRECTED BY WOMEN
This section represents a collection of 21 Features, Documentaries and Shorts directed by women.
WOMAN WALKS AHEAD (Director: Susanna White, Screenwriter: Steven Knight, Producers: Edward Zwick, Marshall Herovitz, Erika Olde, Rick Solomon, Andrea Calderwood) – Based on true events, Woman Walks Ahead tells the story of Catherine Weldon (Jessica Chastain), a widowed artist from New York who, in the 1880s, traveled alone to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Chief Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes). Her arrival at Standing Rock is met with open hostility by a US Army officer (Sam Rockwell), who has stationed troops around the Lakota reservation to undermine Native American claims to the land. As Catherine and Sitting Bull grow closer, and as their friendship—and his life—are threatened by government forces, Catherine must stand up and fight for what is most important to her. Cast: Jessica Chastain, Michael Greyeyes, Sam Rockwell, Chaske Spencer, Rulan Tangen.
THE RIDER (Director/Screenwriter: Chloé Zhao, Producers: Dickey Abedon, Mollye Asher, Sacha Ben Harroche, Anastasia M. Cummings, Corentin De Saedeleer, Bert Hamelinck, Mike Newman, Hannah Reyer, Michael Sagol, Daniel Sbrega, Jasper Thomlinson, Chloé Zhao) – After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America. Cast: Brady Jandreau, Lane Scott, Lilly Jandreau, Cat Clifford, Leroy Pourier, Tanner Langdeau, James Calhoun, Lane Scott.
DIRT MCCOMBER: LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Canada – Directors: Joanne Storkan, Ryan White, Producers: Chris Siracuse, Chris Carpenter, Stu Lisson, Tom Ryan, Chris Sakamoto, Shelby Mitchell Adams, Brant Davis, Joanne Storkan) – Eric “Dirt” McComber is a rugged individualist who provides for his large family by hunting and fishing the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory near Montreal. But he must straddle two worlds to accomplish his many business, family, and societal functions. Adding to this is his passion and dedication to the sport of lacrosse, not just because of its modern-day significance but also because it is the spiritual practice founded by his ancestors, the Iroquois of North America, who for centuries played the game to honor the Creator as well as for the wellness of their native communities.
UmoNhoN Iye THE OMAHA SPEAKING (Director/Screenwriter: Brigitte Timmerman) – “Our Language is Sacred, no one can take it from us.”–Omaha Elder. Only a handful of Native American fluent speakers remain of the Omaha Tribe. Fluent speaking elders reflect on growing up speaking their native language, the efforts that was taken from the government to phase it out and why it is so important to preserve it. Hopefulness is expressed by the elders and a dedicated group of educators attempts to keep their language alive. Narrated by Tatanka Means.
SILENT NO MORE (Director: Erin Williams, Producer: White Bison, Inc.) – “Silent No More” is a documentary that seeks to expose the phenomenon of murdered and missing indigenous women in the United States. It was filmed and edited by a 19-year-old student at Duke University who spent the summer as an intern for White Bison, Inc. The film includes heart wrenching interviews with the family members of Native women who have either been murdered or are still missing.
HOW TO HEAL WITHOUT JUSTICE (Director/Producer: Rebecca Nagle) – An open letter, visual poem, and experimental short. In the video, writer and artist Rebecca Nagle speaks directly to a woman who stalked and attacked her, while navigating her own healing without justice, resolution or safety.
THE NEW FRONTIER (Director: Kanani Koster, Producer: Sophia Gutierrez Perez) – A Western reclaiming the Old West and classic Iconography for People of Color and our forgotten histories through 5 vignettes.
CEDAR TREE OF LIFE (Canada – Director: Odessa Shuquaya, Producer: April Johnson) – Three Indigenous women hold knowledge of Cedar, passed down from their grandmothers and mothers. They commune with this sacred tree as they practice and share their culture and art in both traditional and contemporary contexts. Cedar is a life- giver. Cedar is a transformer. Cedar Tree of Life reveals how each woman uses the material/medicine of Cedar and how it expresses itself through them. From garments, to homes, to a burial material for those who have passed on, Cedar was and is inextricably linked to all aspects of life for Salish peoples.
CRAIGLEITH HERITAGE DEPOT: INDIGENOUS HISTORY (Canada – Directors: Tracey Strnad & Tom Strnad) – A short documentary film that explores the Indigenous History of the Craigleith and Blue Mountains region in Ontario, Canada.
CLEAR (Director: Maya Washington, Producers: Tina Nagata Barr, Samantha Manalang, Maya Washington) – CLEAR follows Ember Bearheart Johnson’s first day at home after a 16-year prison sentence for a crime she didn’t commit. Reuniting with her daughter (who was an infant at the time she was incarcerated) is bittersweet as she uncovers how her family’s lives have gone on without her after all these years.
THE HEALING (Canada – Directors: Barb Briggs, Tito Gomez, Producers: Pamela Bebee, Barb Briggs, Tito Gomez) – A drug- addicted woman on the verge of death enters the spirit plain where her ancestral spirits perform a healing dance in the hopes of saving her.
OHERO:KON: UNDER THE HUSK (Canada – Director: Katsitsionni Fox, Producers: Katja Esson, Paul Rickard, Katsitsionni Fox) – “Ohero:kon – Under the Husk” follows the journey of two Mohawk girls as they take part in their traditional passage rites to becoming Mohawk Women. Kaienkwinehtha and Kasennakohe are childhood friends from traditional families living in the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne that straddles the U.S. / Canada border. They both take part in a four- year adolescent passage rites ceremony called Oheró:kon “Under the Husk” that has been revived in their community. This ceremony challenges them spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. It shapes the women they become.
IITOOMINIKII (Director: Kyla Eastman, Producers: War Paint Visions) – The incredible story of suffering, compassion, and resiliency of Blackfeet Fashion Designer Belinda BullShoe.
WANISKA (Canada – Directors: Margaret Reynolds, Rose Bird, Florence Allen, Mary Lee, Preston Gardypie, Willie Ermine, Producer: Andrée Cazabon) – In an extraordinary display of resilience, a group of Elders out on the land address the importance of Indigenous knowledge. These residential school Survivors shine a light on a future where this traditional knowledge system may be called upon to assist humanity. Filmed in the fields and forests of First Nations lands across Saskatchewan, Waniska was envisioned and directed by the Elder’s Circle of the First Nations University of Canada with participation from students. Waniska means ‘to awaken’ in Cree.
SPIRIT (Canada – Director: Tristin Greyeyes) – Two friends watch a movie together and one of them sees something in the window. The friend doesn’t but lights up some smudge and it helps.
RECLAMATION (Germany – Director: Viveka Frost) – A short poetic documentary film about Indigenous Identity.
JUST ONE WORD (Canada – Director: Jani Lauzon, Producers: Kat Germain, Jani Lauzon) – Kim Morin is a successful Metis lawyer surrounded by luxury, security and Contemporary Native Art. Inner peace? Not so much. Kim needs things to be perfect. She wants the wrongs in her community and her family to be right. When she finally tracks down her half-sister Asha who is scarred from years of foster care, carrying bundles of abandonment issues and drinking like a fish, Kim brings out the old Just One Word board game she loved as a child and makes her “to die for” cupcakes.
AN INDIGENOUS RESPONSE TO #METOO (Director: Katsitsionni Fox, Producers: Indigenous Concepts Consulting, Michelle Schenandoah and Neal Powless) – This 28-minute film is a talking circle of Indigenous change makers who address the issue of #MeToo from a culturally informed space, which vastly departs from the mainstream movement. Intended to start group conversations within Indigenous communities, this film highlights change being made by leaning into traditional teachings and ceremonies.
STATISTICS (Canada – Director: Tristin Greyeyes) – A young mother with her daughter and friend encounter two men who fetishize Indigenous women. A month later the mother runs into one of the men who harassed them. She tries to take justice into her own hands but becomes another missing or murdered Indigenous woman.
MONUMENTAL (Director/Producer: Hannah Mattner) – Following the monumental decision to reduce the size of Bears Ears National Monument, one woman sets out to experience the land local Native Americans hold so dear to their hearts.
AMERICAN HOLOCAUST: WHEN IT’S ALL OVER I’LL STILL BE INDIAN (Director: Joanelle Romero, Producers: Elizabeth Sage Galesi, Phillip M. Haozous, Teddy Parker, Kathleen Jones, David Aurbey, Joanelle Romero) – This powerful, hard-hitting documentary reveals the link between Adolf Hitler’s treatment of German Jews and the U.S. government’s treatment of American Indians depicts disturbing parallels between these two Holocausts and explores the historical, social and religious roots of America’s own “ethnic cleansing.” The film also examines, through the words and experiences of contemporary Indian people, the long-term lasting effects of this on-going destructive process and the possible ramifications for the future of American Indian people in the 21stcentury.
INDIGENOUS INTERNATIONAL CINEMA
INDIAN HORSE (Canada – Director: Stephen Campanelli, Screenwriter: Dennis Foon, Based on the book Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, Producers: Clint Eastwood, Trish Dolman, Christine Haebler, Paula Devonshire) – Follows the life of Canadian First Nations boy, Saul Indian Horse, as he survives residential school and life amongst the racism of the 1970s. A talented hockey player, Saul must find his own path as he battles stereotypes and alcoholism. Cast: Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck, Ajuawak Kapashesit, Edna Manitowabi, Michael Murphy, Michael Huisman.
LAKA (Australia – Director: S. Shakthidharan, Screenwriter: Rosealee Pearson, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, S. Shakthidharan, Producers: Vanessa Hyde, S. Shakthidharan) – Laka is a cross cultural love story that starts with a first kiss in Sydney, Australia, and ends with a birth in the remote Arnhem land bush. For too many years Lily, a Yolngu woman from the Northern Territory, has suppressed her yearning to go home. Now heavily pregnant, visions of her ancestral land have taken over her waking life. Lily believes it’s her unborn child calling out to her, entreating her to be born on country. Cast: Rosealee Pearson, Nicholas Brown.
DIRT MCCOMBER: LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Canada – Directors: Joanne Storkan, Ryan White, Producers: Chris Siracuse, Chris Carpenter, Stu Lisson, Tom Ryan, Chris Sakamoto, Shelby Mitchell Adams, Brant Davis, Joanne Storkan) – Eric “Dirt” McComber is a rugged individualist who provides for his large family by hunting and fishing the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory near Montreal. But he must straddle two worlds to accomplish his many business, family, and societal functions. Adding to this is his passion and dedication to the sport of lacrosse, not just because of its modern-day significance but also because it is the spiritual practice founded by his ancestors, the Iroquois of North America, who for centuries played the game to honor the Creator as well as for the wellness of their native communities.
THOSE WHO COME, WILL HEAR (Canada – Director/Screenwriter/ Producer: Simon Plouffe) – Those Who Come, Will Hear proposes a unique meeting with the speakers of several indigenous languages of Quebec – all threatened with extinction. The film starts with the discovery of these unsung tongues through listening to the daily life of those who still speak them today. Buttressed by an exploration and creation of archives, the film allows us to better understand the musicality of these languages and reveals the cultural and human importance of these venerable oral traditions by nourishing a collective reflection on the consequences of their disappearance.
TAINO DAKA (Puerto Rico – Director/Producer: Alex Zacarias) – A man is on a journey to reclaim his Caribbean indigenous identity as a Taino. History books say that the Taino People have been extinct for the past 525 years since their first encounter with Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the New World. He is faced with many obstacles both from within and from institutions that continue to keep the Taino People in the past. The Taino are reclaiming their identity and just as history wrote them out of history they are rewriting themselves back into history.
CTSENMEW’SCTEM RE STSMEMELT (SHOWING THE WAY FOR THE CHILDREN) (Canada – Director: Jeremy Williams, Producer: Esk’etemc First Nation) – The Esk’etemc people are standing up their culture, their governance and their children. After suffering oppressive policies and having their land pre-empted, they are now healing and declaring their rightful place as caretakers of their land.
THE GIRL WHO TALKS TO THE MOON (Canada – Director: Neil Grahn, Producer: Rebecca Campbell, Frederick Kroetsch, Heather Hatch) – The Girl Who Talks to the Moon follows the adventures of an inquisitive girl named Harmony who lives on the magical island of Haida Gwaii. Every night before she falls asleep, the moon gives Harmony a fun task, like learning how to make a kite. In her dreams Harmony completes the task with the help of friendly animals. Along the way she learns about the ancient Haida language through song and play. The show is a combination of stop motion animation, live action and hand puppets.
RAVEN AND THE DOGFISH WOMAN (Canada – Director: Daniel Foreman, Producer: Sharlene Millang) – Join Raven, a magical, mythical creature, in adventures inspired by Pacific West Coast legends. Raven battles monsters, plays with fun-loving friends, and falls in love. Nonnie, our storyteller, teaches us about Canadian First Nations’ culture along the way. In Raven and the Dogfish Woman, Raven transforms into a man and encounters a mysterious woman who is his match in many ways. They fall in love, but she has secrets that drive him mad. Will curiosity get the best of Raven?
RAVEN AND THE SEA WOLF (Canada – Director: Daniel Foreman, Producer: Sharlene Millang) – Angeptu is the most beautiful girl Raven has ever seen! Her mother agrees to their union, IF Raven Man accepts her deadly challenge to defeat the Sea Wolf. Is this an impossible task?
CEDAR TREE OF LIFE (Canada – Director: Odessa Shuquaya, Producer: April Johnson) – Three Indigenous women hold knowledge of Cedar, passed down from their grandmothers and mothers. They commune with this sacred tree as they practice and share their culture and art in both traditional and contemporary contexts. Cedar is a life- giver. Cedar is a transformer. Cedar Tree of Life reveals how each woman uses the material/medicine of Cedar and how it expresses itself through them. From garments, to homes, to a burial material for those who have passed on, Cedar was and is inextricably linked to all aspects of life for Salish peoples.
CRAIGLEITH HERITAGE DEPOT: INDIGENOUS HISTORY (Canada – Directors: Tracey Strnad & Tom Strnad) – A short documentary film that explores the Indigenous History of the Craigleith and Blue Mountains region in Ontario, Canada.
OHERO:KON: UNDER THE HUSK (Canada – Director: Katsitsionni Fox, Producers: Katja Esson, Paul Rickard, Katsitsionni Fox) – “Ohero:kon – Under the Husk” follows the journey of two Mohawk girls as they take part in their traditional passage rites to becoming Mohawk Women. Kaienkwinehtha and Kasennakohe are childhood friends from traditional families living in the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne that straddles the U.S. / Canada border. They both take part in a four- year adolescent passage rites ceremony called Oheró:kon “Under the Husk” that has been revived in their community. This ceremony challenges them spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. It shapes the women they become.
WANISKA (Canada – Directors: Margaret Reynolds, Rose Bird, Florence Allen, Mary Lee, Preston Gardypie, Willie Ermine, Producer: Andrée Cazabon) – In an extraordinary display of resilience, a group of Elders out on the land address the importance of Indigenous knowledge. These residential school Survivors shine a light on a future where this traditional knowledge system may be called upon to assist humanity. Filmed in the fields and forests of First Nations lands across Saskatchewan, Waniska was envisioned and directed by the Elder’s Circle of the First Nations University of Canada with participation from students. Waniska means ‘to awaken’ in Cree.
SPIRIT (Canada – Director: Tristin Greyeyes) – Two friends watch a movie together and one of them sees something in the window. The friend doesn’t but lights up some smudge and it helps.
RECLAMATION (Germany – Director: Viveka Frost) – A short poetic documentary film about Indigenous Identity.
JUST ONE WORD (Canada – Director: Jani Lauzon, Producers: Kat Germain, Jani Lauzon) – Kim Morin is a successful Metis lawyer surrounded by luxury, security and Contemporary Native Art. Inner peace? Not so much. Kim needs things to be perfect. She wants the wrongs in her community and her family to be right. When she finally tracks down her half-sister Asha who is scarred from years of foster care, carrying bundles of abandonment issues and drinking like a fish, Kim brings out the old Just One Word board game she loved as a child and makes her “to die for” cupcakes.
APPALACHIA (Canada – Director: Peter Lilly, Producer: Victoria Schupp) – 1758, British Colonies. During the French and Indian War, a half-Abenaki man quickly finds himself caught between two rapidly shifting worlds when he journeys into the wilderness with a deranged and deceitful frontiersman.
SISTER’S DIRGE (Canada – Director/Producer: Ty Giffin) – When a young girl goes missing, her family wrestles with grief. Fearing for the worst, her sister takes the law and justice into her own hands.
MISHKEEGOGAMANG (Canada – Writer: Jon Wesselink) – Fresh out of high school, Jon Wesselink always had something he was working on media wise. He worked with two local video production companies in school and worked independently with various contracts and volunteer work. While recently working on documentaries up north, he found it to be important to reveal how the government and citizens treat First Nation people. He hopes through his documentaries that he can find justice for people suffering up north from many repressing laws and stereotypes.
STATISTICS (Canada – Director: Tristin Greyeyes) – A young mother with her daughter and friend encounter two men who fetishize Indigenous women. A month later the mother runs into one of the men who harassed them. She tries to take justice into her own hands but becomes another missing or murdered Indigenous woman.
NON-COMPETITION RETROSPECTIVES
THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY: UNMASKING THE DOMINATION CODE (Director: Sheldon Wolfchild / Producer: Steven Newcomb) – The film is based on Steven Newcomb’s more than thirty years of research and his book Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery (Fulcrum, 2008). The world of Christendom during the fifteenth, sixteenth, and later centuries claimed to have a God-given right of domination in relation to lands where non-Christians (“infidels,” “heathens,” and “savages”) were living. Based on this claim of a divine right of domination and dehumanization, the U.S. Supreme Court defined the land title of Native nations as a “mere right of occupancy” subject to a U.S. doctrine of Christian discovery and domination. Eminent theologian Dr. Luis Rivera-Pagán is interviewed about his book A Violent Evangelism: The Religious and Political Conquest of the Americas (1992). He talks about the devastating effects of dehumanization, which he calls, “the absolute devaluation of one’s being.” This speaks volumes about the cause of genocide, the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women in Canada, and other manifestations of the domination of Indigenous women elsewhere. Birgil Kills Straight, a Headman of the Oglala Lakota Nation, provides insight into the traditional wisdom and teachings of the Seven Laws of the Oceti Sakowin. The traditional teachings of original nations and peoples provide a means of ending the domination system. Narrated by Buffy Saint-Marie.
AMERICAN HOLOCAUST: WHEN IT’S ALL OVER I’LL STILL BE INDIAN (Director: Joanelle Romero, Producers: Elizabeth Sage Galesi, Phillip M. Haozous, Teddy Parker, Kathleen Jones, David Aurbey, Joanelle Romero) – This powerful, hard-hitting documentary reveals the link between Adolf Hitler’s treatment of German Jews and the U.S. government’s treatment of American Indians depicts disturbing parallels between these two Holocausts and explores the historical, social and religious roots of America’s own “ethnic cleansing.” The film also examines, through the words and experiences of contemporary Indian people, the long-term lasting effects of this on-going destructive process and the possible ramifications for the future of American Indian people in the 21stcentury.
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About the Red Nation International Film Festival
Founded in 2003 by Award Winning filmmaker, actor, and member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Joanelle Romero, Red Nation Film FestivalTM (RNIFF) The Authentic Voice of American Indian & Indigenous CinemaTM is dedicated to breaking the barrier of racism by successfully replacing American Indian stereotype with recognition, new vision, arts, culture and economic prosperity by placing American Indian Filmmakers at the forefront of the entertainment industry and to introduce American Indian Filmmakers to larger, global mainstream audiences while championing Native Women in Film & Television and giving voice and inspiring native youth with our dedicated program Native Youth MatterTM – If I Can See It I Can Be It.TM www.RedNationFF.com
About Red Nation Celebration Institute
The Authentic Voice of American Indian and Indigenous storytellers, our mission is in promoting, advancing, advocating and empowering independent filmmakers, media artists and content creators, with an emphasis on initiatives for Native women and youth, in all media platforms, in conjunction with partners from around the world.
Established in 1995, Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI) is the longest standing American Indian & Indigenous multidisciplinary educational Arts & Culture 501 3 (c) non-profit corporation in Los Angeles, founded in Santa Fe NM during Indian Market. Before becoming a non-profit organization, we operated as a Production Company since 1991. That company was responsible for producing films, concert series and music videos including the first American Indian AIDS concert, “Warriors Against AIDS,” casting American Indian dancers for Michael Jackson’s Black or White music video (the highest paid dancers in music video history), producing numerous benefit concerts, Award-winning documentary films and the first and only American Indian drama series pilot, *Home, Home on the Res*. RNCI is the first native nonprofit organization funded by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department in 2000. Red Nation Celebration Institute is responsible for establishing American Indian Heritage Month in the City of Los Angeles in 2005 and officially recognized by the State of California and the City of Los Angeles in 2006.
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