THE 12th
NATIVE SP I R I T F I LM F E S T I VA L
Lo n d o n 1 1 - 2 1 o c to b e r 2 0 1 8 www.nativespiritfoundation.org
12TH NATIVE SPIRIT FESTIVAL 11-21 October 2018
The Film Festival of Indigenous Peoples
“I think we’re really on the precipice of entering what might be the first true golden age of Indigenous cinema.” Jesse Wente, Anishinaabe writer, film curator.
THURSDAY 11 OCTOBER
FESTIVAL OPENING
CONFERENCE: FULFILLING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND MINORITY RIGHTS TO CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
VIDEO & LIVE CHANTING PERFORMANCE
9-5.15pm Senate House
2018 marks the 15th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003). Building on this occasion, this conference intends to reflect on the particular rights of Indigenous peoples and ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in the domain of cultural and language rights. This conference is jointly convened by the Human Rights Consortium and the Institute of Modern Languages Research (School of Advanced Study, University of London), and Brunel University Law School - and in association with Senate House Library and the 12th Native Spirit Film Festival. The conference is supported by the Cassal Trust Fund and the Open World Research Initiative (OWRI) project “Cross-Language Dynamics: Reshaping Community” - Translingual Strand. Followed by a drinks reception to mark the opening of the Native Spirit Festival, and an exhibition of Indigenous language items curated by Senate House Library. Supported by Human Rights Consortium & OWRI Cross-Language Dynamics (IMLR), University of London.
6pm The Chancellor’s Hall Ingrid Pumayalla | 2016 | Trujillo, Peru | 6’
Yana warmi, koner ñauwi, in Quechua language, means Black woman of green eyes. This is a chanting song that talks about female healing. It is a chanting to not forget Quechua because it is sweet. In ancient cultures the practice of singing is a way to perserve the memory of language through the strength of female voice. The chant is a traditional rhythm from the Andes, the Huayno about Quechua woman and language. These huaynos are sung in everyday life to acknowledge and communicate with the natural world around the people in the Peruvian Andes. The chant narrates and names the importance of the female and motherhood of the Quechua’s culture where the Pachamama, the Earth, should be protected and cared. The visual narrative of the performance has been filmed in the Machrie Moor standing stone circle in the Isle of Arran, Scotland (3500-1500BC). Ingrid is a Peruvian artist working and living in London. Her work has been part of the Art for the Environment Festival at Bow Arts, 2018 exhibited at TAF, Athens, 2017. Using performance, photography and moving image to address migration and diasporas, and how the loss of home re-structures and transforms identity. Her work explores the role of art in transforming and repairing loss.
cover Jenna by Cara Romero Photography courtesy of Rainmaker Gallery Bristol. See Cara’s work at the Life Blood exhibition,The Crypt Gallery 18-21st October
SUBVERSIVE DIVERSITY
A collaborative project about three ‘hablantes de lengua’ (language-speakers) in Mexico City. Today 68 languages survive from more than 200 at the time of Spanish invasion. After centuries of repression they become a reconnection with memory, a proof of resistance and subversion of power relations founded in the colonial experience and continued in the modern nation state. Dir. Jan-Holger Hennies | 2017 | Mexico | 13’ Film commissioned by OWRI Cross-Language Dynamics
THE LAST COUNCIL
Introduced by Greta Morton Elangué, Filmmaker, Curator, Researcher, Artistic Director and Founder of the Festival of Indigenous Australian Cinema in Paris.
BLACK DIVAZ
BLACK DIVAZ goes beyond the glitz, glue guns and glamour of BLACK DRAG to reveal a fun, fabulous and sometimes fearful place especially if you are an Indigenous man in a country where identity is constantly examined. – “And you thought PRISCILLA was the only Queen in the Desert!”
El Último Consejo is a tale about the relation between money, power and corruption.
Dir. Itandehui Jansen | 2018 | Spanish Mexico | 12’
MUXES
The latest documentary by Ivan Olita is a piece documenting the far reaches of the southern state of Oaxaca where, in the Indigenous communities around the town of Juchitán, the world is not divided
simply into males and females. The local Zapotec people have made room for a third category, which they call ‘muxes’ - men who consider themselves women and live in a socially sanctioned limbo between the two genders. Dir. Ivan Olita | 2018 | Oaxaca, Mexico | 10’
Over 5 steamy days 6 contestants will battle it out in fierce lip synching battles, photo shoots with crocodiles and challenges that will see each contestant stretch more than just their wardrobe choices. What does it take to be crowned the winner? We follow each contestant as they talk candidly about what brought them to this glittering stage – their triumphs and tragedies and what being Miss First Nation means for them and their communities. Dir. Adrian Russell-Wills, Producers Michaela Perske & Gillian Moody | 2018 | First Nations Australia | 60’
FRIDAY 12 OCTOBER
SATURDAY 13 OCTOBER
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
SUMING CARRYING THE FLAG
7-9pm SOAS, KLT
Introduced by Special Guest, musician and composer Lin Guo-Ting
7-9pm SOAS, KLT
ÇA FAIT SI LONGTEMPS (ITS BEEN A LONG TIME)
Never refuse any encounter! There are so many kinds of people in the world. Is it possible, that there is a group of people having similar cultural heritages and fates with us, but they are drifting in the other side of sea? Two Taiwanese aboriginal musicians Suming and Baobu, are invited to New Caledonia (an island located in the southwest Pacific Ocean) by the Director for a trip. During this voyage, they made friends with local Kanak musician, played music, lived together, and sometimes composed together. In the end, they all found the secret to innovation and to go to the world, is to re-discover their traditional culture roots. Dir. (Lokah Laqi) Laha Mebow, Prod. Jewel LAI | 2017 | Taiwan, Melanesia. English Subtitles | 90’ Collaboration with SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies
Suming, a young Amis man from eastern Taiwan, is part of the first generation of Indigenous people forced to lose their native language. Singing in the Amis language, Suming has worked his way to the forefront of Taiwan’s popular music scene, while simultaneously leading Indigenous (Amis) youth to rediscover their tribal identity and uniting his people behind the creation of Amis Music Festival. Music and poetry are core elements of the social and political organization of Amis culture, which makes use of chanting, poetry, and song to expose, discuss and solve problems that arise within the tribe. For this reason, Suming has always found it natural to express his emotions and public opinions through song. As an Amis man, artist and musician, opposing the social system that oppresses Indigenous people through control of their voice, environment, and land is a core part of Suming’s life. He longs for a return of the ethnic voice, the Amis voice, and balance to our imbalanced society. Suming has participated in music festivals all over the world that brandish their own unique design of flag. With a strong belief that music and culture can assist Taiwan to find its place on the international stage,
Suming brandishes our own nation’s flag, and in doing so, carries the dreams of all Taiwanese people with him through his music. Dir. Jau-Horne Chen | 2017 | Amis, Taiwan | 44’
CoF (MEMORY)
Blodwen wakes up on a battlefield with no memory. Inspired by Welsh folklore, this story symbolicaly explores identity with Welsh musical lyrics. Dir. Ciprian Costas | 2015 | Welsh | 4’
TALES OF THE TRIBES: ABOTANI
Special Guests Suming Rupi and Ado Kaliting Pacidal
Collaboration with SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies
SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER 11-6pm SOAS, LLT ’
THREE 5 MINUTE ANIMATIONS: MADE FOR Dualchas Na Cloinne (Children’s Heritage) by WEST HIGHLAND ANIMATION supporting Oral Heritage, Digitisation of archive material and promoting use of the Scots Gaelic language. Dir Leslie MacKenzie, Scottish Gaelic, Scotland.
Abotani is the Tani Peoples cultural hero, in this story he quarrels with his brother Yapom which leads to the division of the land. Tapen the Trickster Bat intervenes and reignites the battle between Mankind and the ancestor of the spirit beings. Tara Douglas | 2013 | Tani, Arunachal Pradesh, India | 6’
TALES OF THE TRIBES: IMMORTALS
AILIDH MAL
A hunter stumbles upon Nye Mayel Kyong while he is hunting a wild boar in the forest. The boar is no ordinary animal and Nye Mayel Kyong is no ordinary place
Dir. Leslie MacKenzie, Niek Reus | 1995 | Scottish Gaelic | 5’
SÁLBMA (HYMN)
Ailidh Mal made whisky in Kintail. The gaugers were after him. GILLE NA COCHLA CRAICINN
A Boy of Deer Skin must influence many challenges before becoming a place among the Fingalians.
Dir. Leslie MacKenzie, Niek Reus | 2012 | Scottish Gaelic | 5’
FRAOCH
Fraoch must play a deadly game to win the hand of the beautiful Findabair.
Dir. Leslie MacKenzie, Niek Reus | 2012 | Scottish Gaelic | 5’
Tara Douglas | 2010 | Nye Mayel Kyong, Lepcha (Rong), Sikkim | 6’
National borders cut through the Indigenous Sápmi, dividing friends and family. Nevertheless, we are one. Within Sámi communities, there are many languages, cultures, clothings, and musics. This music video for Sálbma serves as a reminder to all of the diverse Sámi peoples to find ways to honour our heritage, cherish our connections, and preserve our shared identity. Together, the Sámi will always be stronger than those who try to erase us. We are one. Dir. Katja Gauriloff | 2018 | Finland | 6’
12.40pm 7TH GENERATION
A documentary about Oglala Lakota tribal member Jim Warne’s efforts in helping Tribal Nations find a way to succeed in a contemporary American system and still remain Indian at heart. Dir. John L Voth | 2017 | English | USA | 45’
THE PANGUNA SYNDROME
On the island of Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, the revolt continues. The Bougainville Crisis, a war waged by colonial powers to crush the indigenous resistance and protect their interests in the giant mine of Panguna may only be the tip of the iceberg. 20,000 lives were lost. The spirits of the land have been violated. And if the Bougainvilleans have come out, against all odds, victorious of the physical war, they now have to face a psychological one. The referendum on Independence planned in 2019 is inching closer. Whose future will be written and whose voices will count? In the North, the government is attempting the resuscitate Panguna. In the Centre, around the mine site, many are attempting to imagine an alternative reality, a new articulation of modernity inclusive of their traditional cultures and identity. They are leading a battle to break free mentally and physically from oppressive structures they have been subjected to for over two hundred years. After the physical fight comes the time of the spiritual one, calling for the (re) conquest of the self. Dir Olivier Pollet | 2017 | Tok Pidgin, Papua New Guinea | 52’
7th Generation philosophy is rooted in a vision experienced by Black Elk that prophesied the Dec. 29, 1890 massacre of 300 Lakota in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Black Elk, who later witnessed the aftermath of the brutal killings by the U.S. Army, revealed that it would take seven generations to heal the broken circle of life caused by centuries of constant oppression that reached a peak on that day. It was indeed the last great battlefield defeat of an Indian Tribe before indigenous peoples fell under the grip of systematic U.S. government control. Estimations vary on the number of indigenous people killed by disease or slaughter as part of extermination measures since the arrival of Europeans in the mid-1500s. Numbers could average to about 10 million. Seminole Tribune, May 16, 2016
SOUP FOR MY BROTHER
Today is a special day for Jimmy’s brother, Danny. As Jimmy prepares a batch of soup for his brother, we learn this documentary is about tradition, brotherly love and loss. Filmed entirely on Seneca Nation Territory located 50 miles south of Niagara Falls. Dir Terry Jones | 2016 | Seneca Nation (Iroquois), USA | 10’
SUN AND THE GREAT FROG
A Cherokee Eclipse Story in the Cherokee Language. A great frog tries to swallow the sun. Dir. Joseph Erb | 2017 | Cherokee, USA | 5’
EMPIRE STATE
“As an Elder goes about preparing wild onions and corn, the outside world infiltrates through the TV: the fall of the Twin Towers, the hit on Baghdad, and the first death of a Native American soldier overseas. A subtly poignant film that simply told gives strength to the old man and to those who bear witness.” – imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (2017) Directors Terry Jones, Govind Deecee | 2017 | USA | 5’
RAVEN’S MEMORIES
is even more so a story of compassion for those whose voices are lost. Dir Shaandiin Tome | Diné (Navajo) | USA | 11’
FOLK HEALING AND DEATH
How do beliefs surrounding death impact the way in which an individual chooses to live? A portrayal of the cultural tapestry Mexicans have woven around death as a rite of passage offering insights to curanderismo native healing. Dir. Natasha Redina | 2017 | Mexico | 4’
ALMA & ESPERANZA
Alma & Esperanza is the story of a 10 year old girl living in the United States and her 75 year old grandmother living in an Indigenous community in the Mexican mountains, who meet in a moment of grief. Dir. Itandehui Jansen | 2012 | Mexico | 17’
A great Huron chief reminisces about Wendake’s Reserve.
Dir. David N. Bernatchez | 2018 | Huron, Canada | 8’
Q&A Director David N. Bernatchez
MUD (Hashtł’ishnii)
Mud is about Ruby’s craving for connection with her son, which is hindered by her alcoholism. This story explores the overwhelming control that addiction holds over the addicted and those who love them, and the powerlessness of individuals and society to cure this illness. How does one heal the genetic destiny of a family? In a hopeless spiral, addiction promises relief from the pain that it causes, with the ultimate cure being death caused by the medicine. On the reservation, drinking is a large problem, especially for those traveling to border towns to consume. Gallup is a border town that has one of the highest rates of deaths due to exposure. While this film is a statement of social justice, it
NKWÍ NAYÀ TÓNKO: WORD COMMITMENT
The documentary tells the story of Francisco Núñez, a reciter and flautist of the Chareos dance in the Nanguè community of San Pedro Amuzgo, Oaxaca. He acquires the position of playing the flute by the Nkwí nayà tónko, with which he obtains the “commitment of speech” to respect and fulfill this work until he dies. Francisco’s greatest concern is that at death no one else is interested in inheriting the position of playing the flute in dance and tradition is lost because of the lack of interest in the new generations. Dir. Ismael Vásquez Bernabé | 2016 | Ombeayiüts , Mexico | 19’
SOWING STRENGTH
“Xochicuautla is not for sale, Xochicuautla is loved and defended!” is the motto sung by the Indigenous community of Xochicuautla in defense of their Sacred Otomi Forest. After ten years of resistance and despite the fact that the fate of its
cultural heritage depends on weak laws, the protagonists of this story show us how through their worldview they have been able to sow new seeds of hope. Dir. Sonia Håkansson Rivero | 2016 | Otomi, Mexico | 16’
THE SUNSET OF THE SHOOTER OF BIRDS
An ancestral dish allows us to venture into the customs and lives of three women whose old traditions are eroding and contrasting modernity. Time passes by, memories fade and oblivion consumes them all, unless a proper light shines above. Dir. Julieta Garcia | 2016 | Mexico | 14’
IN SEARCH OF HOPE: THE STRUGGLE FOR MEMORY AND PEACE IN MEXICO.
‘In search of hope: the struggle for memory and peace in Mexico’ is an arts-based research project which explores issues around memories, justice and struggles for truth and peace in Mexico. In the country, various initiatives, cultural projects, artists and activists take part in movements to demand justice, many of them looking for their family and beloved ones disappeared. This documentary presents the visions of agents in 3 projects El Museo Casa de la Memoria Indomita (The Museum of Indomitable Memory), Bordamos por la Paz (We embroider for Peace) and Huellas de la Memoria (Footprints of Memory). Dir. Laura Mishelle Muñoz Gonzalez | 2018 | Mexico | 37’
Q&A Miroslava Gonzalez
3 MAGALYS
Haunted by a heavy family secret and anxious to escape her mother’s fate, a young Indigenous journalist makes a short film to break the silence and try to free herself from her family legacy of violence and oppression. But as the intimate projections to confront her relatives to
the truth multiply, she still hesitates to pass on her story to her daughter for fear of traumatizing her. Paralleling the destinies of three Indigenous women living in the confines of the Bolivian Amazon, 3 Magalys offers an homage to female resilience while underscoring the healing power of cinema. Dir. Frédéric Julien | 2017 | Plurinational State of Bolivia | 50’
THE RIVER OF THE KUKAMAS
Being born from the spirit of the River, Kukama people have a special connection to the water. The river shrinks and grows throughout the year, affecting the lives of it’s citizens. Filmed at its widest state at the end of the rain season, we learn of the challenges Kukama people face today. Dir. Nika Belianina | 2018 | Peru | 7’
TIMBO
Construction of dams by energy companies in the Brazilian Amazon would destroy the heart of the world’s largest rainforest, and severely affect the community of the Indigenous people in the area. If built, the dams would flood an area the size of London, Paris and Amsterdam combined. The flood would also cause a large amount of toxic plants to dissolve in the water, leading to severe poisoning or even death among the local tribes. These plants are commonly known as Timbó. Dir. Peiman Zekavat | 2017 | Brazil | 9’
Q&A Director Peiman Zekavat
MONDAY 15 OCTOBER
6-9pm Senate House Rm 243
IN PURSUIT OF VENUS [INFECTED] Lisa Reihana | 2015-17 | New Zealand
SIX PACIFIC SHORTS 60’
Filmed on location in Papua New Guinea and Tonga by six new writer/directors supported by a Commonwealth Writers initiative. THE RED BALL
The arrival of a drunk uncle precipitates the loss of a young girl’s family home.
Dir Amelia Fakahikuo’uiha Liliu’okalani Fonua Helu | 2017 | Tonga
KORIVA
A young girl from the city tries to participate in traditional village wife against her father’s wishes. Dir Euralia Paine | 2017 | Papua New Guinea
FAKA’ANAUA
A young girl learns to cope with death during the preparations for a funeral.
Dir Sio Sateki Malani Wolfgramm | 2017 | Tonga
THE EDUCATION OF GRAYSON TOKI
A young man tries to find himself in rural Papua New Guinea. Dir Glenill Burua | 2017 | Papua New Guinea
MY MOTHER’S BLOOD
A young boy witnesses the brutal killing of his mother and sets out to take revenge. Dir Katherine Reki | 2017 | Papua New Guinea
THE BLACK PEN
A newly trained counsellor at a women’s refuge comes face to face with the real challenges of investigating a case of child sexual abuse while juggling the demands of her personal life. Dir ‘Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki | 2017 | Tonga
5min preview clip of Lisa Reihana’s stunning 26-metre wide installation which animates and reimagines the famous 19th-century decorative wallpaper ‘Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique’. See the full installation at The Royal Academy of Arts, London Oceania show. www. inpursuitofvenus.com/
Lisa Reihana is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice examines the representation of history. Born in New Zealand and of Ngāpuhi descent, her works communicate complex ideas related to community, Maori identity, hybridity, sexuality and gender.Reihana has exhibited extensively in New Zealand and abroad, including representing New Zealand at the Venice Biennale in 2017 with the large scale video installationin Pursuit of Venus [infected] (2015-17), featured in the RAs Oceania exhibition.In 2014 she was awarded an Arts Laureate Award by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and this year she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Writer and Artist SARA TAUKOLONGA of The Pacific Islands Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland (PISUKI) will recite an English translation, and then sing in Tongan a poem entitled ‘Katenia’, composed by Queen Salote, The longest reigning monarch of Tonga (1918-1965)
7pm NEXT GOAL WINS
In 2001 American Samoa lost 31-0 to Australia, the worst defeat in international football history and a result that led to headlines all over the world. A decade later
and the team are still at the bottom of the Fifa rankings with just two goals scored in 17 years. With qualification for the 2014 World Cup approaching, Dutch coach Thomas Rongen is brought in to try and help turn round the team’s fortunes. The team’s star defender, a tough tackler in the Vinnie Jones mould, is Jaiyah Saelua. Saelua is a fa’afafine, the third gender specific to Samoan culture. Ultimately this no-nonsense defender becomes the first transgender player ever to compete in a World Cup qualifier, a victory in the truest sense of the word. Dir Mike Brett, Steve Jamison | 2014 | Samoa | 97’
TUESDAY 16 OCTOBER
7pm King’s College London K0.20 The Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in the UK and KCL Latin American Society in association with
Refreshments and Bolivian food
This evening includes a talk and display of an important decorated vessel from Tiwanaku region, Bolivia, recovered earlier this year and presented to the Bolivian government in a small ceremony at the Bolivian Embassy on 17 May 2018. What happens when you find an artefact that’s important to your culture being sold at private auction in the UK? In this talk we will hear about a pre-Colombian jar that the Bolivian Embassy recovered from a sale earlier this year. The ceramic jar was produced in Tiwanaku, a major pre-Colombian civilization, around 1500 years ago and was acquired by a collector in Cambridge in the twentieth century. The Embassy used Bolivian law, the Metropolitan Police and the support of different archaeologists to recover it. Lenny Vidal Sejas, Acting Ambassador, and Dr Emma Felber will go through the process of recovering antiquities and discuss the
symbolic importance of Tiwanaku for the Bolivian state. YVY MARAEY (LAND WITHOUT EVIL)
Andrés, a ‘karai’ or white man, has lost touch with his inner self and is going through a creative and spiritual crisis. He becomes obsessed with the existence of an uncorrupted and secluded Guaraní population, which might hold the answer he needs. Andrés hires Yari to guide him on a road trip deep into Guaraní lands in modern-day Bolivia, where the white man is the minority. Their journey is one of self-discovery and intercultural understanding. In order to find the land without evil, Andrés must learn to see by listening and realise that the Guaraní are not simply anthropological specimens for observation. Yvy Maraey is a metaphorical portrayal of the essence of filmmaking and a philosophical illustration of personal evolution.
Dir. Juan Carlos Valdivia, Elio Ortiz | 2013 | Bolivia | 107’
WEDNESDAY 17 OCTOBER 6-9PM Senate House Rm 246
FORGET WINNETOU! LOVING IN THE WRONG WAY
‘Winnetou’, the still popular American Indian character created by German author Karl May in the 19th century is a symbol of Native stereotypes, of lingering racism and colonialism: the self-bestowed privilege of taking and using whatever you want, even living peoples, for self-gratification. Intentional or not, these attitudes and behaviors continue the cycle of genocide, and can be harmful to everyone, no matter their ethnicity. Most films on similar topics concentrate only on Native experiences in North America, but through discussions with Natives, living in or having visited Germany, the correction of Eurocentricized history and insight on German society,
we’ll present why these stereotypes and practices must end: in Germany and worldwide. While some may minimize the effect or harm of stereotypes, they are evidence of much deeper societal issues of injustice, inequality and inequity many countries now face.
THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER
Special guest panel discussion with Director Red Haircrow and documentary team members: Natasha John Diné (Navajo), Johnny Clyde (Purepecha/ Mezica), Viveka Frost (Teques/Caribe)
EVENT INCLUDES BOOK READING AND SIGNING BY JULES KOOSTACHIN: UNEARTHING SECRETS, GATHERING
Dir. Red Haircrow | 2018 | Germany, USA | 69’
RECLAMATION
A short poetic documentary film about Indigenous Identity Dir. Viveka Frost | 2018 | Teques/Caribe | Germany/USA | 4”
I AM SALMON
The importance of wild Pacific salmon for Tseshaht First Nation on the Northwest Pacific coast. Dir. Peter Mieras 2017 | Nuu Chah Nulth, Canada | 7’
1pm University of Kent Rm N3.S8 An afternoon with our featured festival guest JULES KOOSTACHIN.
1PM - FILM & AMERICAN STUDIES SEMINAR Eliot Seminar room 3
4PM Screenings - Keynes Seminar Room 16 PLACEnta
Jules sets out to find a place for her Cree Nation traditional placenta ceremony. Dir. Jules Koostachin | 2014 | Attawapiskat, Canada | 17’
NiiSoTeWak
Ten-year-old identical twin brothers discover what it means to be a twin in their Cree culture. Dir. Jules Koostachin | 2017 | Attawapiskat, Canada | 16’
Q&A Director Jules Koostachin | Attawapiskat, Canada | 17’
THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER 6-9pm Senate House Rm 243 STRONGFALA KALJA (STRONG CULTURE)
TATANKA VS MONTANA
Almost hunted to extinction, the last herd of pure American Buffalo, now living in peace inside Yellowstone National Park, is once again in danger. In order to survive during the winter, buffalo eventually step across the park boundaries and enter into Montana, where they are welcomed with guns and bullets. Dir. Claudio Duek | 2016 | USA | 28min
Chief Kalories Robert prepares for an enactment of a traditional warrior dance ceremony honouring the ancestral culture of his people at their community-run Leweton Custom & Cultural Village in Santo. Dir. Jarryd O’Keefe | 2017 | Vanuatu | 3’
LILLIAN BOWEN
Lillian Bowen is passionate about revitalising and preserving her native tongue, Guugu Yimidhirr, one of Australia’s Indigenous languages. Dir. Caden Pearson | 2016 | Australia | 15’
NORMAN BAIRD THE BAMA DIGGER
On the anniversary of WWI, Tamara Pearson sets out to discover more about her ‘gami’ Norman Baird, a Kuku Yalanji digger, who served in both world wars. Dir. Caden Pearson | 2015 | Australia | 14’
We’re sorry to learn Clarrie Cameron recently walked on. Our condolences and thanks to his family for allowing us to screen.
judges, claimants, attorneys and witnesses. In a multicultural, multilingual country divided by social inequality, Royce Buda interprets to build bridges. Dir. Almut Dieden | 2018 | South Africa | 20’
Film commissioned by OWRI Cross-Language Dynamics
BURKINABE RISING
AFTER THE CROW FLIES
Made in collaboration with Clarrie Cameron, a Nhanhagardi Elder who navigates through the stark landscape of Western Australia whilst discussing the effect of colonisation on his peoples and on the shape of contemporary Australia. Dir. Sonal Kantaria | 2016 | English Australia | 5’
YARRIPIRI’S JOURNEY
Yarripiri the giant ancestral taipan created the Jardiwanpa Songline through his journey, bringing songs, law and the Jardiwanpa fire ceremony to Warlpiri people.
Directors Simon Fisher Jnr, Jason Woods | 2017 | Australia | 28’
AFTER DARK INFERNO
A dreamscape story of discovering faith, guidance and strength beneath the waters. Dir. Alex Browning | 2018 | African Diaspora | 3’
Q&A Director Alex Browning
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
At Pretoria High Court everybody knows him: Royce Buda, South African court interpreter of up to 16 languages for
Burkina Faso is home to a vibrant community of artists, musicians, engaged citizens who carry on the revolutionary spirit of Thomas Sankara, killed in a coup d’état led by his best friend and advisor Blaise Compaoré, who then ruled the country as an autocrat for 27 years, til a massive popular insurrection led to his removal. Today, the spirit of resistance and political change is mightier than ever and permeates every aspect of the Burkinabè life. An inspiration, not only to Africa, but to the rest of the world. Dir. Iara Lee, 2017, Burkino Faso. French with English Subtitles, 72min
Special guest Burkinabè speaker Dakissé Tiendrebeogo
FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER
6-9pm Senate House Rm 243 BOOK READING AND SIGNING BY JULES KOOSTACHIN: UNEARTHING SECRETS, GATHERING TRUTHS
GAS CAN
A Cree family in 1970s Saskatchewan move from the Prairies to the city and ask an old Farmer friend for help when their car runs out of gas. Dir. Mattias Graham | 2017 | Treaty 4, Canada | 15’
PLACEnta
Jules sets out to find a place for her Cree Nation traditional placenta ceremony. Dir. Jules Koostachin | 2014 | Attawapiskat, Canada | 17’
NiiSoTeWak
Ten-year-old identical twin brothers discover what it means to be a twin in their Cree culture. Dir. Jules Koostachin | 2017 |
Attawapiskat, Canada | 17’
Jules’ participation supported by Commonwealth Writers FROM UP NORTH
Featured storyteller Noel Starblanket shares his experiences of attending the Lebret Indian Residential School. While listening to Noel’s stories, Trudy reflects on her time listening to survivors’ stories and her connection to the Residential School legacy. A personal, poetic documentary by the Director based on her experience working for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Dir. Trudy Stewart | 2017 | Canada | 13’
HEART OF GOLD (Mushkegowuk Cree)
Written by Neil Young. Mushkegowuk Cree translation by Adrian Sutherland. Produced by John-Angus MacDonald and Midnight Shine.
Midnight Shine | Canada | 4’ music video/lyric card
TRIBAL JUSTICE
A documentary about a little known, underreported but effective criminal justice reform movement in America today: the efforts of tribal courts to create alternative justice systems based on their traditions. In California, the state with the largest number of Indian people and tribes, two formidable Native American women are among those leading the way. Abby Abinanti, Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribe on the Northwest Coast, and Claudette White, Chief Judge of the Quechan Tribe in the Southeastern Desert, are creating innovative systems that focus on restoring rather than punishing offenders in order to keep Tribal members out of prison, prevent children from being taken from their communities, and stop the schoolto-prison pipeline that plagues their young people. Two strong Native American women, both chief judges in their tribe’s courts, strive to reduce incarceration rates and heal their people by restoring rather than punishing offenders, modelling restorative justice in action. Dir. Anne A Makepeace | 2017 | USA | 87’
SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER 10-5PM Birkbeck Cinema
INNU NIKAMU: RESIST AND SING
A documentary that tells the story of the Innu Nikamu Native Music Festival through the eyes of its founders and musicians. A story of healing, a duty of remembrance.
Dir. Kevin Bacon Hervieux | 2017 | Canada | 92’
TIME IS OUT OF JOINT
More than 40,000 acres of Indigenous forest in Michoacán have been appropriated by narco industries, turning it into a composite site of hidden dynamics, cartel-drug crimes and statesponsored violence, leaving no apparent material residue, however, still affecting
the production of landscape. The state of Michoacán, where most of the drug war takes place, is a strategic place for these transactions, promoting the fragmentation of Mexico’s narco cartels as they continue to merge with federal and regional police, criminal groups and local guerrillas. Blending performance with observational approaches and ethnography, this documentary provides a glimpse into Indigenous rural Mexico at the intersection between ecocide, narco-labour and enforced disappearance.
THE NOMADS
Elders from a remote Innu village recall their nomadic life. Dir. Katherine Nequado | 2018 | Atikamekw, Canada | 10’
Dir. Victor Arroyo | 2018 | Mexico/Canada | 25’
THE WISTFUL WAPIKONI MOBILE SHORTS PEWMAYIÑ (DREAMING)
A journey to the origins of the relationship between Mapuche and the spirit forces of the land. Dreaming, a form of spiritual communication that gives sense to the Mapuche way of life, compels children to seek ancestral knowledge in the voice of their Elders, in the beauty of song, and in the fighting spirit of the papay (Elder women) and of a whole People. The Mapuche Communication and Cinema School of Aylla Rewe Budi | 2017 | Chile | 10’
CARRYING ON THE TRADITION
Nimki is a young dancer from Wiikwemkoong who struggled with depression until traditional dancing reconnected him with his culture, his family, and himself.
Dir. Nimkie Peltier | 2018 | Anishnabe, Canada | 5’
NE KA MISTA ISHPENTENEMEK (THE WOMAN I RESPECT)
An intimate conversation between the chief of Ekuanitshit, Jean-Charles Piétacho, and Hélène, the village’s elder for whom giving birth was just an everyday event. Dir. Jean-Charles Piétacho | 2018 | Innu, Canada | 5’
A young artist wishes he could have wings though he knows he’ll never be able to fly. Dir. Sinay Kennedy, Damien G. Haineault | 2018 | Dene, Canada | 6’
MEGWETCH KIAJASHK (THANK YOU SEAGULLS)
In Saulteaux, seagull eggs harvesting has been an Anishnabe tradition for many centuries.
Dir. Jolene Chartrand, Austin Delaronde | 2017 | Saulteaux, Canada | 5’
BATAILLES
At nightfall, Karen decides to leave the party where a friend is in the process of losing herself. A life metaphor, this battlefield.
Dir. Karen Pinette Fontaine | 2016 | Innu, Canada | 4’
MY FATHER’S TOOLS
In honor of his father, Stephen continues the production of traditional baskets. He finds peace in his studio, in connection with the man who taught him the work.
Dir. Heather Condo | 2017 | Mi’gmaq, Canada | 5’
— 1-2PM BREAK —
BUTTERFLY MONUMENT
BOOK READING AND SIGNING BY JULES KOOSTACHIN: UNEARTHING SECRETS, GATHERING TRUTHS
TURNING TABLES
Joshua DePerry, also known as Classic Roots, is a Toronto-based music producer and performer pioneering ‘PowWow Techno.’ Deftly navigating the two worlds that inspire his music, he puts his own spin on what it means to be urban and Indigenous. Dir. Chrisann Hessing | 2018 | Canada | 16’
Butterfly Monument documents the creation of a public memorial dedicated to the late Shannen Koostachin, a young Cree education advocate from Attawapiskat First Nation, Moskekowok territory. Through personal stories shared by Shannen’s immediate family we learn about who Shannen was and what motivated her passionate crusade for equitable access to education for Indigenous children and youth. The film also documents director Jules Koostachin’s efforts to lead the community campaign that made this public monument to her young relation a reality. Shannen was a trailblazer with Canada’s largest youth-led activist group when she sadly passed away at the young age of 15. Her legacy is kept active by Shannen’s Dream, a national campaign for improved First Nation schooling. The Butterfly Monument, Canada’s first public monument honouring a Cree youth is located on the traditional territories of Timiskaming First Nation, in the City of Temiskaming Shores, Ontario. Dir. Jules Koostachin, Rick Miller | 2017 | Cree, Canada | 29’
2.30pm Director Q&A Jules Koostachin and panel with Max Carocci
SIX WAPIKONI MOBILE SHORTS: THE THREE SISTERS COMMUNITY GARDEN
Zachary Greenleaf, a young Mi’gmaq from Gesgapegiag, tries to reintroduce the «Three Sisters» - the traditional white corn, squash and beans used in Native gardens in his community with the help of others. Dir Zach Greenleaf | 2016 | Mi’gmaq, Canada | 5’
THE LAND - AKI
A one minute silent meditation through the landscape of Mont Royal seen with an Indigenous lens. Dir. Craig Commanda | 2018 | Canada | 1’
THE MUSIC IN ME
For Emilio Wawatie, music is everywhere: under each one of its steps, in each one of his gestures. In nature as in him. Dir Emilio Wawatie | 2016 | Canada | 4’
NACIMIENTOS (GIVING BIRTH)
In a landscape of colours and movements, an elder of the Panama Embera people shares the knowledge of her people surrounding births.
Réalisation collective - Panama | 2016 | Canada | 7’
MOMMY GOES RACE
A touching portrait of the only female car racer in Kitigan Zibi Anishinabe Nation. Charlene Mc Conini juggles being a super mum with derby racing she passionately undertakes with her boyfriend and Charlie, an experienced Quebecer driver. Dir Charlene McConini | 2017 | Algonquin, Kitigan Zibi | 6’
HEAD’S UP
A hilarious comedy about a guy named Tony who discovers that luck is a fleeting thing. Dir. Abraham Côté | 2017 | Algonquin, Kitigan
and humanitarian Susan Aglukark weaves together stories of artistry, family, and belonging as she explores the complex cultural shifts of the last 50 years of Inuit life. Turning her lens on the turbulence of colonial transition, director Nyla Innuksuk examines the forces that shaped Aglukark’s voice and how that voice is now being translated for a new generation of Inuit artists. Dir. Nyla Innuksuk | 2016 | Inuit, Arctic Canada | 5min
ANAIYYUN: PRAYER FOR THE WHALE
Zibi, Canada | 4’
PHARMALARM
Karen is a pharmaceutical sales representative with an expensive habit to support. Will Dr. Brule be her knight in a shining lab coat? Dir. Caitlin English | 2017 | Canada | 5’
NO RESERVATIONS
What if the moccasin was on the other foot? Political satire about Standing Rock starring Lorne Cardinal. Protests erupt as an upper-middle class neighbourhood attempts to thwart the construction of a pipeline by an Indigenous Corporation.
Dir Trevor Carroll 2017 | Ojibway, Canada | 11min
FENCE
An Indigenous artist presents his work at a viewing in the city. Overcoming the feeling he is instrumentalized by the well-intentioned gallery owner, he sparks interest in potential buyers. He returns to his community, proud to have proven his talent. Dir. Alexis Fortier Gauthier | 2017 | Canada | 9’
BREATHS...
“The North is the place where I feel I’m completely myself.” In this evocative documentary short, Inuit singer-songwriter
The story of an Iñupiaq whaling crew, living where the vast plain of ice meets the waters of the Arctic Ocean. During whaling, their lives are interminable periods of silent observation, punctuated by moments of terror. The ice hides its dangers—desperately hungry polar bears hunting humans, massive icequakes when sheets of ice collide. Here on the sea ice, the Iñupiaq wait for the whale. When the whale does offer itself, it will take the courage and skill of the whaling crew, riding on the icy waters of the Arctic by a skinboat, to catch it. But in the long moments standing on the ice, protected from the wind inside a fur-lined parka, a timeless gratitude develops. In those moments, the patient act of waiting transforms into a prayer for the whale. Dir. Kiliii Yuyan | 2018 | USA | 8’
THREE THOUSAND
Sunday 21 October 3-3.30pm Talk by Joanne Prince, founder Rainmaker Gallery followed by 3.30pm Discussion Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls #MMIWG
In this short film, Inuk artist Asinnajaq plunges us into a sublime imaginary universe—14 minutes of luminescent, archive-inspired cinema that recast the present, past and future of her people in a radiant new light. Diving into the NFB’s vast archive, she parses the complicated cinematic representation of the Inuit, harvesting fleeting truths and fortuitous accidents from a range of sources— newsreels, propaganda, ethnographic docs, and work by Indigenous filmmakers. Embedding historic footage into original animation, she conjures up a vision of hope and beautiful possibilities. Dir. Asinnajaq | 2017 | Inuk, Canada | 14min (photo credit header image)
SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER The Crypt Gallery
Rainmaker Gallery joins Native Spirit with Bloomsbury Festival: Activists and Architects of Change to present
CARA ROMERO (cover
photo)
Chemehuevi Photographer and Social Justice Advocate, works on show at the LIFE BLOOD EXHIBITION Thursday 18 October - Sunday 21 October 12-7.30pm The exhibition ‘Life Blood’, curated by Ash Kotak, explores activist art as realised by a group of international artists, film makers, writers and a poet.
Cara Romero is a fine art photographer whose work reflects a diverse training in film, digital, fine art, journalism, editorial portraiture and commercial photography. Cara’s work can be found is several museum collections, including the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Cara has won numerous awards including ribbons at major art markets and the ‘Visions for the Future’ award from the Native American Rights Fund. Raised on the Chemehuevi Valley Indian reservation along the California shoreline of Havasu Lake in the heart of the Mojave Desert, she now lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, celebrated Cochiti potter Diego Romero and their children.
Jules Koostachin www.visjuellesproductions.ca
blackdivaz.com
Cara Romero www.cararomerophotography.com
VENUES SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL & AFRICAN STUDIES 10 Thornhaugh Street Russell Square London WC1H 0X
SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDY Senate House, Malet Street London WC1E 7HU
KING’S COLLEGE CENTRE FOR AMERICAN STUDIES BIRKBECK CINEMA Strand, London University of Kent Birkbeck Institute for WC2R 2LS Rutherford College, the Moving Image Canterbury, CT2 7NX 43 Gordon Square London WC1H 0PD
ADMISSION
Event details and online Registration: Eventbrite Native Spirit UK All events Free Donation £5-10 requested towards Festival costs Programme may be subject to changes – for latest updates visit Facebook.com/NativeSpiritUK @nativespirituk nativespiritfilms@gmail.com
Thanks to the filmmakers and all who make this festival happen