In partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, the museum presents the latest in Native documentaries, shorts and features during the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market. To see the full list of daily films and times, log onto www.AmericanIndian.si.edu.
Today’s films:
1 pm, Best of Animation Shorts Celebration
(Total Running Time: 56 min.)
Round Dance
(USA, 2015, 1 min.)
Director: Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw)
PSA encouraging people to be good Indians and shut their phones off before the movie.
Dancers of the Grass
(Canada, 2009, 2 min.)
Director: Melanie Jackson (Métis/Saulteaux)
In this stop-motion animation, Dancers of the Grass depicts hoop dance which symbolizes the unity of all nations.
Shown in the 2011 Native Cinema Showcase
El Fantasma de la Milpa/Phantom of the Milpa
(Mexico, 2003, 2 min.)
Produced by: La Matatena, Asociación de Cine para Niñas y Niños, A.C.
A claymation by Triqui children whose families come from communities in the Sierra Alta of Oaxaca. When children playing ball close to a milpa (field) lose the ball, what happens to the player who goes in to get it?
Shown in the 2007 Native Cinema Showcase.
Story of Priest Point
(USA, 2010, 2 min.)
Director: Students of the Tulalip Heritage School
In Lushootseed with English subtitles.
Killer whales rescue the people of Priest Point from starvation in this traditional Tulalip tale.
Shown in the 2011 Native Cinema Showcase.
Stories from the Seventh Fire: The First Spring Flood
(Canada, 2002, 13 min.)
Directors: Gregory Coyes (Métis, Cree), George Johnson
In the time before people lived on Turtle Island (North America), the Creator put the Trickster Wesakechak on earth to take care of all creatures. When Wesakechak is tricked by the jealous spirit Machias, his friends come to his aid.
Shown in the 2008 & 2010 Native Cinema Showcases.
The Visit
(Canada, 2009, 4 min.)
Director: Lisa Jackson (Ojibwe)
Based on a true story, this animated short recounts a Cree family’s strange encounter one winter night.
Shown in the 2011 Native Cinema Showcase.
Raccoon and Crawfish
(USA, 2007, 8 min.)
Co-directors: Calvert Waller, Karabo Legwaila, Peter Hale, Shaun Foster, Heather Carpini, Mark Edwards
Executive Producers: Ray Halbritter (Oneida), Dale Rood (Oneida)
Based on a story from the oral tradition of the Oneida Indian Nation, this 3D animation brings to life the fateful meeting between a scheming crawfish and his mortal enemy—the hungry raccoon.
Shown in the 2008 & 2010 Native Cinema Showcases.
Wapos Bay—The Elements
(Canada, 2006, 24 min.)
Director: Melanie Jackson (Métis, Saulteaux)
Wapos Bay is a light-hearted stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of three Cree children who live in remote northern Saskatchewan. In this episode, the children are helping their mushom (grandfather) set up a cultural camp.
Shown in the 2009 Native Cinema Showcase.
3 pm, NMAI “State of the Art” Symposium
Four innovative curators of Native American art discuss strategies for engaging the general public with the work of contemporary Native artists. Participants include: Candice Hopkins (Tlingit), Chief Curator, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts; Scott M. Shoemaker, Ph.D. (Miami), Thomas G. and
Susan C. Hoback Curator of Native American Art, History and Culture, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art; Christina E. Burke, Curator of Native American & Non-Western Art, Philbrook Museum of Art; Kathleen Ash-Milby (Navajo), Curator of Contemporary Arts, National Museum of the American India. Moderator: David W. Penney, Associate Director for Museum Scholarship, National Museum of the American Indian
5 pm, NMAI Film Panel @MOCNA
The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), 108 Cathedral Place, hosts this discussion with filmmaker and producer Helen Haig-Brown, (Tsilhqot’in); Longhouse Media Executive Director Tracy Rector (Seminole); Gina M. Reyes, Manager and Creative Executive, Fox Audience Strategy; and moderator Jason Ryle (Saulteaux), Executive Director of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
8 pm, Chasing the Light
(USA, 2014, 83 min.)
Director: Blackhorse Lowe (Navajo)
FOR MATURE AUDIENCES: Contains strong language and adult situations.
A down-on-his-luck screenwriter, Riggs, struggles to finish a script. Failed suicide attempts, unstable friends, drug deals, and memories of his ex-girlfriend all threaten to interfere with his goal to complete his project.
In Person: Blackhorse Lowe
PRECEDED BY:
Flat
(USA, 2003, 8 min.)
Director: Nanobah Becker (Navajo)
This film tells the story of a mother and daughter and a bittersweet celebration.
In Person: Nanobah Becker
Shown in the 2005 Native Cinema Showcase.
