10 August 2007. Albuquerque, NM: At 1:30 pm, Tuesday afternoon, August 21, 2007

Nine short films by Navajo directors throughout the Navajo Nation will screen at the Ojo Encino Chapter House in the Eastern Navajo Agency. Nanobah Becker, the director of the Sundance Film Festival short “Conversion,” assembled the screening for the community. Her film was shot on location in Ojo Encino in 2005 and makes its premiere in the community on that day.

“This is the first screening of its kind that I know of and highlights the emergence of a burgeoning cinematic movement coming out of the Navajo Nation,” says Becker. “I put together this event to celebrate this community and Navajo film. It’s an exciting time to be a filmmaker from the Navajo Nation.”

The films include:

CONVERSION 9 min. by Nanobah Becker (Ojo Encino)—1950. Christian missionaries make a catastrophic visit to a Navajo family. Navajo with English subtitles.

A MINOR DISTURBANCE 4 min. by Blackhorse Lowe (Nenahnezad)—Music video for the Brooklyn-based band The Dust Dive.

GRACE 11 min. by Darwyn Roanhorse (Tohatchi)— A restless young woman, at first drawn to compete with an older woman, soon understands that she can learn from her rival. English and Navajo.

SHARE THE WEALTH 8 min. by Bennie Klain (Tonalea)—A Native woman on an urban street encounters stereotyped misunderstanding in this poignant drama and ironic parable.

SA’AH 20 min. by Sarah Del Seronde (Tuba City)—The echoes of a Diné medicine man reveal the meaning of Diné philosophy, which ensures the Navajo’s path to Sa’ah Naghái Bik’eh Hózhóón (Walking in Beauty into Old Age). Documentary. English and Navajo.

HORSE YOU SEE 7 min. 30 sec. by Melissa Henry (Churchrock)— Meet Ross, a horse from the Navajo reservation. Hear his story and share his thoughts as he explains the very essence of being a horse. Navajo with English subtitles.

FEMALE RAIN-NILTS’A BI’ÁÁD 2 min. by Velma Craig (Fort Defiance)—In a piece based on a poem by Navajo writer Laura Tohe, the filmmaker expresses her love of the Navajo language. English and Navajo.

MARBLE GANSTA 4 min. by Shelby Ray (Flagstaff)—A young girl wakes from a nightmarish future where skateboarding is illegal, only to be confronted by her greatest fear.

DEEP THOUGHT 2 min. 30 sec. by Allison Tachine (Torreon)—16mm experimental short.

D.C. NAVAJO 10 min. by Shonie De La Rosa (Kayenta)—A graphic artist tries to collect his pay from the Navajo Nation Washington, D.C. office.

Many of these filmmakers are quite accomplished and will be on hand to present their films along with some actors and crew.

Elders and youth are especially encouraged to come. There will be door prizes for those in attendance. This is a FREE event.