This program of short films showcases world-building narratives of Indigenous existence and resistance through the reclamation of traditional matriarchal ceremony, the activism of poetic expression, and depictions of eternal love. Centering joy, gratitude, and resilience acts as a powerful reminder of the potentials for narrative change in storytelling, and in the creation of Indigenous futurisms. Together, these films offer a non-linear approach that reflect how these Indigenous filmmakers see themselves, and the past-present-futures of their communities and stories.
Program:
Shadow holding shape to experience the energy of the sun (Muscle, Bone & Sinew)
Two futuristic creatures perform a dogmatic monologue focusing beyond colonialism. (Cannupa Hanska Luger, 2021, DCP, 5 minutes)
Chaac & Yum
Queer joy transcends time and space in this love story rooted in Chaac, the Mayan deity of Rain, and Yum, the Mayan deity of corn. (Roberto Fatal, 2022, DCP, 12 minutes)
Gently, Jennifer
Jennifer unexpectedly experiences an awakening and her first kiss within the pages of a magazine. (Doane Tulugaq Avery, 2019, DCP, 9 minutes)
Long Line of Ladies
A Karuk community reclaims its matriarchal tradition of celebrating a girl’s transition to womanhood. (Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome, 2022, DCP, 22 minutes)
They Told Me "Apikaan" Means Braid
Originally an 8mm installation conceived as a loop, They Told Me "Apikaan" Means Braid serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of language and tradition. (Eve-Lauryn LaFountain, 2013, DCP, 3 minutes)
This is the Way We Rise
For Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, poetry is an act of resistance and an empowering tool for advocacy. (Ciara Lacy, 2020, DCP, 12 minutes)
Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors)
Gwich’in cultural identity is intermeshed with the caribou. In this intergenerational story, an elder teaches his granddaughter about this reciprocal relationship. (Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Alisha Carlson, 2021, DCP, 6 minutes)
I Am Home
Grandma Betty Slim reflects on Diné identity and resilience—though we are all different, we are all made of the earth, and remain strong throughout time. (Kymon Greyhorse, 2023, DCP, 3 minutes)
Part of the Imagining Indigenous Cinema New Voices, New Visions film series