Film series
Smithsonian’s Native Cinema Showcase features 53 films from 11 countries
The Native Cinema Showcase begins screening films on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at the New Mexico History Museum. The showcase runs in conjunction with Santa Fe Indian Market.
The celebration of indigenous languages.
The stories of women. These are among the subjects that will be tackled in this year’s Native Cinema Showcase in Santa Fe.
The event, in its 19th year, is presented and curated by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. It runs from Tuesday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 18, in conjunction with Santa Fe Indian Market. All the screenings take place at the New Mexico History Museum.
Cynthia Benitez, Native Cinema Showcase program manager, said nearly all of the films were made by Native filmmakers; more than half were made by women, including the opening and closing films.
In all, the event includes 53 films from 11 countries, representing nearly 40 indigenous groups. There will also be dialogue and narration from 20 indigenous languages.
“Indigenous language is one of the themes this year,” Benitez says. “What’s great about the films is that we don’t focus just on North America. The films are stories from all over the world.”
In fact, Benitez says that in recognition of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the lineup includes films such as “SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife),” the first feature-length film entirely in the Haida language.
Then there’s “Wiñaypacha (Eternity),” the first feature-length film shot entirely in the Aymara language. The showcase includes dialogue and narration in 20 indigenous languages.
“Both of the films are very beautiful films,” she says. “We are always excited that we are getting more and more indigenous women making films. What attracts us to a film is the story. We are looking for films that have stories that haven’t been told before or told in a different way.”
The showcase begins and ends with portraits of strong women.
The opening film on Tuesday, Aug. 13, is “Warrior Women,” which shows the role of women in the American Indian Movement of the 1970s.
The closing film on Sunday, Aug. 18, “Vai,” incorporates languages of Oceania as it follows the journey of one woman across eight indigenous communities throughout the Pacific islands.
“After ‘Warrior Women’ is screened, we are going to have some special guests,” she says. “There will be a
discussion with activist Marcella Gilbert (Lakota and Dakota/Cheyenne River Lakota Nation) and directors Christina D. King (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma) and Elizabeth A. Castle. We wanted to show the women behind this film. People are very responsive to it.”
Benitez says “Vai” features a different approach.
“It is made by nine Pacific islander women filmmakers,” she says. “It follows Vai’s life from a little girl to an elder. Each filmmaker puts their own stamp on each piece. These are beautiful examples of what Native women are doing now. It runs the gamut, and we’re not just doing one theme.”
Other highlights include an appearance by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa), who will make remarks before the screening of the biographical film “N. Scott Momaday: Words From a Bear” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15. And a “State of the Arts” talk, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, will feature Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary.
At 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Railyard Park, there will be a screening of Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which brings together Disney princesses, including Pocahontas, as they question the stereotypical roles they fell into during past film appearances.