1 pm: Yakona
(USA, 2014, 85 min.)
Director: Paul Collins and Anlo Sepulveda
Yakona, which means “rising water” in Coahuiltecan, is a visual cinematic journey through the crystal-clear waters of the San Marcos River in Texas and its headwaters at Spring Lake, one of the oldest inhabited areas in North America. Follow the river that has seen mastodons die on its banks, movements of the Native tribes of North America, Spanish explorers in search of the fountain of youth, and modern man as he builds dams, roads, and bridges.
Paul Collins was born and raised in Canada and for over 15 years has drawn his inspiration from the raw beauty of nature.
Collins has a BFA in Art and Design from Texas State University.
Anlo Sepulveda has directed and produced numerous narrative and documentary films including Cuban Pipers, a shortdocumentary about a Scottish bagpiper who travels through Cuba. Anlo’s first feature, Otis Under Sky, was an official selection at SXSW 2011.
Preceded by: HuyHuy (Trade) (USA, 2013, 5 min.)
Director: Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation)
In Chinuk Wawa with English subtitles.
A deal between two men threatens to unravel as tensions rise in this contemporary look at indigenous language and culture. Sky Hopinka is currently attending the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee MFA program for Film, Video, and New Genres where he is learning the Ho-Chunk language and working on various projects that stem from ideas of contemporary indigenous linguistic concepts and representational imagery.
3 pm: Something to Talk About Shorts Program
Total running time: 90 min.
Injunuity: The Great Law (USA, 2013, 5 min.) Director: Adrian Baker (Hopi/Filipino/German/Welsh/Choctaw)
When settlers arrived in the New World, one of the first cultures they encountered was the Haudenosaunee, a confederation of tribes that had been practicing representative democracy for hundreds of years. How much influence did that existing democracy have on our Founding Fathers and on documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution? More than you know. The film features voiceover by Donald Grinde, Professor of Native American Studies at the University of Buffalo.
Mohawk Midnight Runners (Canada, 2013, 16 min. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES) Director: Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk) Writer: Richard Van Camp (Tlicho)
When Grant (Cody Lightning [Cree]), a Mohawk man, tragically loses his best friend, he finds his way through his sorrow by remembering his departed friend’s favorite activity: streaking. Grant turns his midnight runs through the reserve into a spiritual honoring that his friends envy. This is a comedic story about brotherhood and how we choose to honor those whom we’ve lost far too soon.
The Ways: Clan Mother: Healing the Community (USA, 2013, 5 min.) Director/Producer: Finn Ryan
Molly Miller of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican, in Bowler, Wisconsin is an elder healer. She explains her role in the community to bring back Native language and cultural healing practices. As a Clan Mother, she is a leader in the current grassroots efforts to help young people and bring the community together by restoring traditional culture.
Alaska Dispatch: Alaska Native Rapper, Rebel, Shares Positive Message with Youth (USA, 2014, 4 min.) Director: Tara Young
Samuel Johns, who raps under the name Rebel, uses music to reach out to Native youth in a way that is relevant to their lives.
The Ways: Powwow Trail: Keeping the Beat (USA, 2013, 5 min.) Director/Producer: Finn Ryan
This is a profile of Dylan Jennings of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, in Oneida, Wisconsin. Contemporary powwows bring together Native Americans from many different nations and provide communities a chance to gather and celebrate. Dylan Jennings, a traditional singer and dancer, reflects on his multiple identities as college student, member of his tribe, youth mentor, and dancer and singer on the powwow trail.
The Ways: Living Language: Menominee Language Revitalization (USA, 2013, 5 min.) Director/Producer: Finn Ryan
In English and Menominee. This film profiles Ron Corn Jr. and his daughter Mimikwaeh of the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wisconsin. The film explores the relationship between culture and language as a father attempts to teach his daughter to be a first-language speaker of the Menominee language. With the loss of their language, Ron and Mimikwaeh’s journey may be one of the last chances to keep the Menominee language alive.
The Ways: Language Apprentice: Bringing Back the Ho-Chunk Language (USA, 2013, 6 min.) Director/Producer: Finn Ryan
In English and Hoocąk. Arlene Blackdeer of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Tomah, Wisconsin, is a language apprentice for the Hoocak Waaziija Haci Language Division of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She shares her experience in her community’s effort to revive the Ho-Chunk language. The story highlights the role of elders in the community who pass on cultural knowledge and the language revitalization efforts currently under way.
A Common Experience (Canada, 2013, 11 min.) Director: Shane Belcourt (Métis)
An adult woman faces and addresses the complexity of being the child of a residential school survivor. The film is based on the play Dear Mr. Buchwald by Yvette Nolan (Algonquin from Kitiganzibi) and stars the playwright herself.
Alaska Dispatch: Athabascan Old-Time Fiddle Music (USA, 2014, 4 min. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES) Director: Tara Young
The 31st Annual Athabascan Fiddle Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska, draws people of all ages, and continues to thrive by connecting to the days when fur traders and gold miners traveled up and down the Yukon River.
The Ways: Prayers in a Song: Learning Language Through Hip-Hop (USA, 2013, 4 min.) Director/Producer: Finn Ryan
In English and Anishinaabemowin with Anishinaabemowin subtitles. This is a profile of Tall Paul of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tall Paul, a hip-hop rapper, explores the connections between language and identity through his music. Bringing together the modern and the traditional, Tall Paul illustrates some of the struggles of the urban Native experience.
The Ways: Lake Superior Whitefish: Carrying on a Family Tradition (USA, 2013, 4 min.) Director/Producer: Finn Ryan
This film shares the story of the Petersons, a commercial fishing family in Hancock, Michigan. Pat Peterson explains how treaties made with the U.S. government protect her people’s right to hunt and fish in the ceded territories that once belonged to them. Though they initially faced opposition and prejudice when they moved to the area to fish, this family business is now an integral part of the community.
Injunuity: Two Spirit (USA, 2013, 4 min.) Director: Adrian Baker (Hopi/Filipino/German/Welsh/Choctaw)
Two Spirit: a person of First Nations or Native American descent possessing both a male and female spirit. This is an umbrella term used to describe the fluidity of First Nations/Native American gender identity and sexuality with respect to traditional tribal roles. Featuring Mica Valdez (Mexica), Nazbah Tom (Navajo/Diné), Arlando Teller (Navajo/Diné), Charlie Ballard (Anishinaabe/Sac and Fox), Esther Lucero (Navajo/Diné).
Say Yes (Canada, 2012, 10 min.) Director: Shane Belcourt (Métis)
This is a short film adapted from the Tobias Wolff short story of the same name.
Love of My Life (USA, 2014, 3 min.) Director: Steven Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw) The latest love song by R&B/Pop artist Spencer Battiest (Seminole Tribe of Florida).
Alaska Artist Joel Isaak, Fish Skin Designer (USA, 2014, 3 min.) Director: Tara Young
Artist Joel Isaak (Kenaitze Athabascan) has spent the last few years working with an unusual material: fish skin leather. At a recent fashion show in Anchorage, he showed off some of his latest garments and collected an award for his contribution to preserving a traditional Alaska Native process.
The Ways: Lady Thunderhawks: Leading the Way (USA, 2013, 3 min.) Director/Producer: Finn Ryan
This is a profile of Jessica House of the Oneida Nation in Oneida, Wisconsin. The Lady Thunderhawks are the Oneida Nation High School girls basketball team. Jessica House, a senior and captain of the team, considers how the team supports her identity as a member of her community and the Oneida Nation. The story explores the role of the basketball team in the community and highlights the importance of language and culture in school.
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