The upcoming film and video festival will see New York City flooded with more Indigenous folks than a…wow, I can’t think of anything clever (read: non-smart ass) to insert here. If you can, email me!

This year’s guest selectors are Nanobah Becker, Chris Eyre, Fred Rickard, and Zezinho Yube.

The festival is worker friendly in that the screenings take place in the evenings and on the weekend. Also this time around there are 70 films and videos aas opposed to over 100 back in 2006. Less is more – more time for Q&A’s and Meet & Greets. The point of a festival like this is that it provides the opportunity to interact with the media makers and festival staff on an intimate level. So, mark your calendars!

On Friday night, November 14th, at the American Museum of Natural History here in the NYC the Margaret Mead Film Festival began it’s program with a screening of a restored print of controversial photographer Edward S Curtis’ In the Land of the Head Hunters. The film was accompanied by an all-indigenous live orchestra put together by violinist, Laura Ortman.

A slide show and opening presentation by the descendants of the original cast preceded the screening. It was quite touching to hear the positive words of the current chief of the Kwakwakaa’wakw people who were Curtis’ collaborators in the film. He expressed gratitude for the film’s resurrection and the exhibition to a near capacity crowd in New York City. I was surprised to hear him say as much considering many believe, myself included, that Curtis’ work with the native people of North America was exploitative. However if you could see your great great uncle when he was a young strappin’ man dancing around a prayer fire in a vintage print, even if a jingoistic quasi-racist white man made it, I guess you’d have a different opinion.

As an interested observer, especially of narrative tropes in film history, I was surprised to see that the essential plot of Curtis’ film was “Boy meets Girl, Boy gets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl in the end.” What we have here is the first iteration of a chick flick, but with an all Indian cast. Though Curtis’ photographic works have always been viewed as documentarian he never intended to make a documentary film, but rather a narrative that would stand out in the glutted market of the “Indian Pictures” popular at the time. He sought to do so by promoting his film as “more authentic” by dint of the on location shoot and the all-Native cast. Though critically praised at the time it was a commercial flop. I guess we had to wait for Kevin Costner to give us Dances with Wolves before any film boasting an authentic Indian location and cast could be commercially viable?

The score is of special interest because it is evocative of the time when a live orchestra played along with the film. This particular score, produced by John J Braham – an Englishman closely associated with vaudeville and Gilbert and Sullivan operas, was supposed to have been directly influenced by Kwakwaka’wakw music. Trust me it wasn’t. It was amusingly vaudevillian, at times laughable, but for the improvised indigenous and percussive elements added by the all Native orchestra. I spoke with a few of the members afterwards. Saxophonist, Vince Redhouse, told me he thought at times he was playing to cartoon episode of Mighty Mouse instead of a landmark silent film. In all fairness the original score was missing key musical elements (e.g. the conductor’s score) therefore matching the score to what is in fact an incomplete film (stills from an unearth second print were added to fill out the more complete, but damaged version) is somewhat impossible and entirely dependent on the conductor’s interpretation. And, that brings us to the Coast Orchestra.

Laura Ortman first heard about the resurrection of the film from a contact at the National Museum of the American Indian. Believing it a crucial point to have an all-indigenous orchestra perform the score along with the film she set out to find a talented pool of classically trained musicians. Though a daunting task (classical music and Indians does seem like an oxymoron) Laura was not discouraged, and though the going was slow, she did prevail. To that end, if there were any doubts that Native musicians are just as talented playing classical instruments as they are hand drums, this group of highly trained sophisticates should put them to rest.

The orchestra, led by conductor Timothy Long, was precise in it’s interpretation of the score, yet belied an indigenized sensibility to the arrangement by adding percussive instrumentation where there was none in the original, as well as, traditional native singers. In fact, the original score called for a thirteen-piece orchestra but Laura was only able to find ten high quality, and willing, musicians. However they managed to fill out the score by adding piano accompaniment and re-working the wind arrangements by replacing the trumpet with saxophone to provide a more evocative sound. Though at times the original string arrangements were silly (only because of the obvious vaudeville roots) the overall effect was provocative and certainly laid to rest any notions that Native people are only attracted to instruments like, the flute, or the aforementioned hand drum.

This was a landmark experience, not only for the mostly Caucasian audience, but for the musicians and descendants of the Kwakwaka’wakw because they circumvented the long held dogma that places native people in an a-historical past settling themselves fully in the 21st century, and without having to sacrifice their cultural and creative inclinations. Let’s hope to hear more from this talented group of musicians.

For more information on Edward S Curtis and his film please visit: www.curtisfilm.rutgers.edu

For more information on the Coast Orchestra please visit: www.myspace.com/thecoastorchestra

To listen to Longview’s interview with violinist and Native music advocate, Laura Ortman, Click the player below.

To see photos from this event visit our gallery page by clicking “gallery” up top of the blog.

All photos: M Colon

CELEBRATING 33 YEARS OF INDEPENDENT FILM, THE AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL WILL SHOWCASE OVER 80 FILMS- FEATURES –DOCUMENTARIES – LIVE & ANIMATED SHORT SUBJECTS – MUSIC VIDEOS – AND RUN FOR NINE DAYS IN SAN FRANCISCO. BEGINNING NOVEMBER 7-12 AT THE LANDMARK EMBARCADERO CENTER CINEMA, ONE EMBARCADERO CENTER, PROMENADE LEVEL; AND NOVEMBER 13 -15 AT THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS, 3301 LYON STREET.

FILM FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:
OPENING NIGHT: NOV. 7: U.S. PREMIERE OF DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR’S FEATURE FILM “ IN A WORLD CREATED BY A DRUNKEN GOD”. PRECEDED BY DOCUMENTARY FEATURE “ RIVER OF RENEWAL”. TX: $10.00
12 NOON MATINEE SCREENINGS –BUY 2 GET 1 FREE NOV. 10,11,12
NOV. 8 – OLDER THAN AMERICA (102MIN)- -USA – SUSPENSE THRILLER ABOUT A WOMAN’S HAUNTING VISIONS THAT OCCURRED AT A NATIVE AMERICAN BOARDING SCHOOL. DIRECTOR: GEORGINA LIGHTNING (IN-PERSON)
NOV. 9 – WEAVING WORLDS (56MIN) – USA- HIGHLIGHTS NAVAJO TALES OF THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NAVAJO WEAVERS AND RESERVATIONS TRADERS. DIRECTOR: BENNIE KLAIN
NOV. 10 – FROZEN RIVER (97MIN)- USA – TWO SINGLE MOTHERS ARE DRAWN INTO THE WORLD OF BORDER SMUGGLING ACROSS THE FROZEN WATER OF THE ST.LAWRENCE RIVER. DIRECTOR: COURTNEY HUNT; ACTRESS MISTY UPHAM (LILA) IN-PERSON.
NOV. 11 – MOCCASIN FLATS: REDEMPTION (96MIN)-CANADA- GRITTY DRAMA ABOUT AN EX-JUNKIE WHO RETURNS HOME AFTER PRISON AND FINDS HIMSELF ENTWINED IN A WEB OF MURDER AND DECEIT. DIRECTOR: ROB KING
NOV. 12 – THE EXILES (72MIN)- USA – AIFI RETRO SPECIAL SCREENING – CHRONICLES ONE NIGHT IN THE LIVES OF YOUNG NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE BUNKER HILL OF LOS ANGELES IN THE 60’S. DIRECTOR: KENT MACKENZIE
NOV. 13 – FILM AND MUSICAL TRIBUTE “REMEMBERING FLOYD RED CROW WESTERMAN (1936-2007)” AT THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS. MUSIC TRIBUTE WILL BE DIRECTED BY INDIAN SONGWRITER/PERFORMER KETIH SECOLA AND HOSTED BY COMIC CHARLIE HILL AND ACTOR MAX GAIL. SPECIAL GUESTS: JOHN DENSMORE, JEREMY GOODFEATHER, JENNIFER KREISBERG, PETE SEARS, CHAD WATSON. MORE SPECIAL GUESTS TBA.

PRECEDED BY WORLD PREMIERE OF DOCUMENTARY FEATURE “COLORING THE MEDIA” TX: $10-15. DIRECTOR CARLISLE ANTONIO (IN-PERSON).
NOV. 14 @ 7:30PM AT THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS; U.S. PREMIERE OF ZACHARIAS KUNUK’S (ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER) FEATURE FILM “BEFORE TOMORROW”. BAY AREA PREMIERE OF ANDREW MACLEAN’S AWARD WINNING SHORT FILM “SIKUMI (ON THE ICE)”.
AIFI TRIBAL TOURING PROGRAM, NATIVE YOUTH FILM SCREENINGS NOV.14 10:00AM THEATRE 39 @ PIER 39. ADMISSION IS FREE FOR THIS EVENT
AMERICAN INDIAN MOTION PICTURE AWARDS SHOW SATURDAY NOV. 15, STARRING NEW COUNTRY ARTIST CRYSTAL SHAWANDA, RECORDING ARTIST SHEA KECK ALONG WITH GRAMMY AWARD WINNER MICKI FREE, VIOLINIST SWIL KANIM, YAAW TEI YI TLINGIT DANCERS FROM JUNEAU, AK . BEGINS 6:00PM @ THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS. TX $15-20.

A complete schedule is available on our website www.aifisf.com. All programs are open to the general public and will require tickets for admission.

Source

Starting this weekend NOV. 7-15 in SAN FRANCISCO, CA

The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) proudly announce the 33rd annual American Indian Film Festival, November 7-15. As the nation’s most prominent outlet for Native American films, the American Indian Film Festival will premiere over 80 new feature films, shorts, public service, music videos and documentaries of USA American Indian and Canada First Nation communities.Among the feature films, the U.S. Premiere of Drew Hayden Taylor’s In a World Created By A Drunken God , Nov.7; World Premiere of “Coloring the Media”, Nov. 13 ; and U.S. Premiere of Zacharias Kunuk’s (Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner), Before Tomorrow will screen Friday Nov. 14.The 2008 American Indian Film Festival, presented over nine days, will run Nov. 7-12 at the Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema, One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level; and conclude Nov. 13-15 at the Palace of Fine Arts,3301 Lyon St. @ Bay Street.A special film and music tribute “Remembering Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936-2007)” will be presented November 13 at the Palace of Fine Arts. Westerman was an accomplished singer/songwriter whose 1969 debut album “ Custer Died for Your Sins” earned critical acclaim. He also was a human rights activist who performed with Sting in the rainforest benefits; and actor receiving world-wide attention and acclaim as “Ten Bears” in Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves. The music tribute will be directed by Indian songwriter/performer Keith Secola and hosted by comic Charlie Hill and Max Gail.

On Friday Nov. 14 at Theater 39@Pier 39, AIFI’s Tribal Touring Program, a Native youth film workshop program supported by tribal host partners, will showcase 16 films from the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, Brooks, CA; Stop the Violence Coalition, Hoopa, CA; and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Rohnert Park, CA. ADMISSION IS FREE.

AIFI’s American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show, beginning at 6:00pm, honoring filmmakers and showcasing contemporary Native American talent, will be held on Saturday November 15 at the Palace of Fine Arts.

Guest awards host include actors Michael Horse, Tonantzin Carmelo and Michael Spears. Fourteen awards will be presented including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Documentary. The awards show is an eclectic mix of live entertainment by established and emerging Native artists and performers. The line-up includes: New country artist Crystal Shawanda, You Can Let Go (single) -Dawn of a New Day CD, recording artist Shea Keck along with Grammy award winner Micki Free, violinist Swil Kanim, Yaaw Tei Yi Tlingit dancers from Juneau,AK, comic Drew LaCapa, and singer Claude McKenzie.

A complete schedule is available on our website www.aifisf.com. All programs are open to the general public and will require tickets for admission.

Advance Tickets available thru AIFI: 415-554-0525 visa & mastercard. On-site tickets available at the following theater venues (on day of show.)

The 2008- 33rd Annual American Indian Film Festival is sponsored by: Seminole Tribe of Florida;Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians,CA; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, CA; Jackson Rancheria,CA; SantaYnez Band of Chumash Indians,CA; Two Rivers Circle,CA; Ak-Chin Indian Community,AZ;CBS, NY; Fox Diversity,CA; International Gaming Technology(IGT), NV; NBC Universal,CA; Oneida Indian Nation, NY; Salt River Pima –Maricopa Indian Community,AZ; 29 Palms Band of Mission Indians; Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians,CA; Wells Fargo Bank, CA; Landmark Theatres; San Francisco Grants for the Arts; San Francisco Arts Commission; San Francisco Bay Guardian; and KQED TV-9.

Last year we attended a short film screening put together by film director/curator Raquel Chapa for the Association for American Indian Affairs at the National Museum of the American Indian. This year she is involved with the programming again but as a film maker. The screening will be held at Deluxe New York located at 435 Hudson St. (between LeRoy & Morton Sts.) start time – 7:00pm on November 13, 2008. That’s Thursday of next week, for you calendar challenged people.

This year’s line up:

Sikuma (On the Ice): Director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Inupiak)

Caleb’s Legacy: Director Raquel Chapa (Lipan Apache/Yaqui/Cherokee)

Ancestor Eyes: Director Kalani Queypo (Blackfeet/Hawaiian)

Horse You See: Director Melissa Henry (Navajo)

American Cowboys: Directors Cedric (Umatilla) and Tania Wildbill

The screening will begin after the meeting of the members.

Bring a Friend!

Deadline to submit: Monday, July 14, 2008

The 7th Annual Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival (WAFF) invites you to submit your work to one of North America’s longest-running indigenous film and video festivals, happening this November 20-23, 2008.

Call For Submissions!!!!!!

Submissions are now being accepted in 7 categories. WAFF pays screening fees to artists and there is no submission fee for entries received on or before the mid-July deadline.

For complete rules and entry forms, go to www.aboriginalfilmfest.org or email info@aboriginalfilmfest.org.

New York, NY [May 1, 2008] – The seventh annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by American Express, announced the winners of its competition categories tonight at the Target-Tribeca Filmmaker Lounge in New York City. Highlights from the Awards Ceremony can be seen on WNBC-TV’s “Tribeca Presents: Best of the Festival” on Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m., as well as on the Festival website, www.tribecafilmfestival.org.

This year’s Festival included 121 features and 79 short films from 41 countries. The world competition winners were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 18 countries. Two awards were also given to honor New York films, which were chosen from seven narrative and nine documentary features. Awards were also given for the best narrative, best documentary and student visionary films in the Shorts competition. The winner of the Cadillac Award, best film in the festival as determined by audience vote, will be announced during the WNBC-TV program on Saturday, May 3rd.

“We are extremely proud of these directors’ accomplishments and we are honored to have had these films as part of the Festival,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.

“It’s especially gratifying and exciting to see that the members of our juries selected an extremely diverse group of films – in terms of both their themes and their countries of production – and that the majority of the prizes are going to filmmakers and performers who are all at an early stage of their careers,” said Peter Scarlet, Artistic Director of the Festival.

Screenings of all winning films will take place at AMC Village VII on Sunday, May 4. Specific times and ticketing information is available on the Festival website, www.tribecafilmfestival.org.

In addition to cash awards and in-kind services provided by sponsors including American Express, Apple, Cadillac, Delta Air Lines, Edelman Studios, The New York State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development, The New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting the Festival presented the winners with original pieces of art created by 13 acclaimed artists.

Following are the awards and their winners:

· The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – “Let the Right One In” (Lat den rätte komma in) directed by Tomas Alfredson (Sweden). Winner receives $25,000 cash and the art award “Maternal Nocture: Clearing Storm” created by Stephen Hannock.

Jury Comments: “For its mesmerizing exploration of loneliness and alienation through masterful reexamination of the vampire myth.”

· Best New Narrative Filmmaker – “My Marlon and Brando” (Gitmek) directed by Hüseyin Karabey (Turkey, Netherlands, UK). Winner receives $25,000 cash, sponsored by American Express, and the art award “Bonfire,” created by Ross Bleckner.

Jury Comments: “For its skillful blending of documentary style with a classic love story and ultimate creation of a truly modern and unlikely international heroine.”

· Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Thomas Turgoose and Piotr Jagiello in “Somers Town” directed by Shane Meadows (UK). Sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Each winner receives a business elite ticket voucher for anywhere Delta travels.

Jury Comments: “For an extraordinary and exhilarating rendering of a friendship found, the Narrative Feature Jury is awarding the Best Actor prize to this magical team.”

· Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Eileen Walsh in “Eden” directed by Declan Recks (Ireland). Sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Winner receives two business elite ticket vouchers for anywhere Delta travels.

Jury Comments: “For her exquisite rendering of a lonely wife aching to be seen and heard.”

· Best Documentary Feature – “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” directed by Gini Reticker (USA). Winner receives $25,000 cash and the art award “Liza Minnelli,” created by Timothy White.

Jury Comments: “In a relentless pursuit of peace, the women of Liberia show us how community, motherly love and perseverance can change the fate of a society. Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a reminder that we have the power to say “Enough!” to the atrocities of our world.”

· Best New Documentary Filmmaker – “Old Man Bebo” directed by Carlos Carcas (Spain). Winner receives $25,000 cash, sponsored by American Express, and the art award “Maquette for Primary Compass,” created by Don Gummer.

Jury Comments: “We the jury feel that Carlos Carcas showed us that if you truly have art in your body and soul it will find its way out into the world. We applaud the filmmaker for bringing Old Man Bebo into our consciousness.”

· “New York LOVES Film” – “Zoned In” directed by Daniela Zanzotto (USA,

UK). Winner receives $5,000 cash, sponsored by New York State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development, and the art award “Table Odeon,” created by Donna Ferrato.

Special Mention: “Hotel Gramercy Park” directed by Douglas Keeve (USA).

Jury Comments: “This was a challenging and spirited discussion with two clear favorites: both films are very different and the jury felt that both should get equal mention even though only one gets the prize. We thought Hotel Gramercy Park was a highly entertaining and moving story about a New York family and a New York institution coming to terms with a changing city, but in the end we felt Zoned In deserved the prize for having the bravery to tell a seemingly typical story that ends up revealing bold and difficult truths.”

· “Made In NY” – Narrative – “The Caller” directed by Richard Ledes (USA). Winner receives $5,000 cash, sponsored by The City of New York Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, and the art award “Nude on Guitar” created by Ralph Gibson.

Jury Comments: “The Caller superbly uses its New York locations – from the sleek mid-town high-rises to the desolate Brooklyn Bridge piers – to create a chilling and finally stirring suspense movie; an unusual thriller whose mysterious plot finally exposes the mysteries of the heart.”

· Best Narrative Short – “New Boy” directed by Steph Green. Sponsored by Edelman Studios. Winner receives $5,000 cash and the art award “Air” created by Francesco Clemente.

Jury Comments: “New Boy took us on a complete emotional journey. It was moving, funny and powerful.”

· Best Documentary Short – “Mandatory Service” directed by Jessica Habie. Sponsored by Edelman Studios. Winner receives $5,000 cash and the art award “The Screamer,” created by John Alexander.

Jury Comments: “Mandatory Service, a perspective of war and conflict from participants themselves. The Israeli’s empathy for the Palestinians is not a perspective we glimpse too often in Western Media.”

· Student Visionary Award – “Elephant Garden” directed by Sasie Sealy. Sponsored by Apple. Winner receives an Apple Mac Pro Desktop with a 15″ Display and Final Cut Studio 2 and the art award “Harmonium” created by Clifford Ross.

Jury Comments: “Elephant Garden captured the “inner-life” of a beautiful young girl; her confusion as she becomes a young adult. Wonderful visual story telling and the performance of Kelley Mack is stellar.”

· Cadillac Award – Winner to be chosen by the Audience and will be announced on WNBC-TV on Saturday, May 3rd. Winner receives $25,000 cash and the art award “Peripheral Drift Illusion,” created by Ryan McGinness, as well as a trophy created by Cadillac.

imagineNATIVE co-presents the Maori documentary GUARDING THE FAMILY
SILVER with filmmakers Moana Maniapoto & Toby Mills in attendance

Renowned Maori artists and filmmakers Moana Maniapoto (Te Arawa and Ngati Tuwharetoa) and Toby Mills (Ngati Raukawa and Ngati te Rangi) will be in attendance for a post screening discussion. Director/Researcher Moana Maniapoto is one of New Zealand’s most successful Indigenous singers and leader of the internationally-renowned ensemble Moana and the Tribe. A law graduate, Moana is also a veteran of radio and television broadcasting and was a talk show host on the first national Maori radio station. Producer/Director Toby Mills has a successful history as a film and stage actor and director of the first Maori theatre company Te Rakau Hua o te Wa o Tapu.

imagineNATIVE is pleased to be co-presenting GUARDING THE FAMILY SILVER as a part of the Indigenous Music and Dance as Cultural Property: Global Perspectives Colloquium presented by Memorial University in partnership with the University of Toronto.

For further information visit: http://www.moananz.com

Tickets available at the door.