June is Pride Month (US and Canada)
June is National Indigenous Heritage Month (Canada)
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Canada)
FILMS and FESTIVALS
Online, Hybrid, In-person+livestream
Indigenous Film and Arts Festival – Monthly Series
The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo
Wed, June 14, 7 – 8:30 pm MDT. Free. Online with registration.
The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo US. Mark D. Williams (Choctaw). The Choctaw women’s stickball team from the community of Standing Pine competes for their first championship in the World Series of Stickball in Mississippi. This inspiring story reveals the history of stickball. More than a sport, the ancient game is medicine, and part of Choctaw identity. Discussion follows on Zoom with Mark O. Williams and Mervyn Tano, President, IIIRM.
UCLA Film & TV Archives
UCLA American Indian Studies Center
“Imagining Indigenous Cinema: New Voices, New Visions”
June 2-18. Hybrid. Free with registration. In-person in Los Angeles and programs also livestreamed on June 10, June 17, June 18. Register for livestream by going to film program’s description page.
Imagining Indigenous Cinema features over 40 films playing over the course of three weekends in June at UCLA’s Hammer Museum and at the Vidiots Eagle Theatre, where screenings will be accompanied by filmmaker discussions and panels. “Fracturing conventional constraints of form and story, this program showcases short and feature-length film and video work made by Indigenous artists creating on and with the land base currently known as the United States and the Indigenous nations within.” The curators for the series are filmmakers and curators Anpa’o Locke (Afro-Indigenous, Hunkpapa Lakota, Ahtna Dené) and Colleen Thurston (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma). The program commenced the weekend of June 2-4 with screenings, and a masterclass with artist Fox Maxy (Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians, Payómkawish).
Week 2: June 9-11
June 9 In-person at Hammer Museum. INAATE/SE Experimental documentary feature. US. Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil. This film references the violent discord of colonization creating a narrative that turns to the Seven Fires Prophecy as it relates to the filmmakers’ own Ojibway community of Sault Ste. Marie. It makes observations and critiques of museum culture and of settler-colonialism, themes that are present throughout their subsequent work. Preceded by Culture Capture: Terminal Addition, A Justice Advancing Architecture Tour, The Original Shareholder Experience. Q&A follows with filmmaker Zack Khalil.
June 10, 7:30 pm PDT In-person at Hammer Museum and short works and Q&A will also be livestreamed. Empty Metal Narrative feature. US. Adam Khalil, Bailey Sweitzer. This politically-charged film blends faux-documentary and experimental techniques to follow the story of five activist groups who aim to start a revolution against the US government. The underground punk scene shapes the film’s style, and the central themes explore mass surveillance, oppression, morality and a sense of power. Preceded by short films: Mayfly, Pō’ele Wai, Fluid Bound, New Myth, Winyan Yamni/Three Dreams, CYANOVISIONS. Followed by Q&A with filmmakers Roberto Fatal, Tiare Ribeaux and Jody Stillwater.
June 11 In-person at Vidiots Eagle Theatre. Deconstructions. Program of 8 short films including We Live, Report, From Sea to See, Culture Capture: Crimes Against Reality. Followed by Q&A with filmmaker Zack Khalil.
Week 3: June 16-18
June 16 In-person at Vidiots Eagle Theatre. Love and Fury Feature documentary. US. Sterlin Harjo. Featuring: Micah P. Hinson (Chickasaw Nation), Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache), Cannupa Hanska Luger (Mandan, Hidatsa, Airkara, Lakota). Through intimate conversation and critical observation of Indigenous creatives Sterlin Harjo brings audiences deep into the arts community of which he himself is a part. Love and Fury is Harjo’s latest film, released the year prior to the 2021 premiere of his breakout television show, Reservation Dogs. Preceded by My Soul Remainer, Wampum/ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫ. Q&A follows with filmmakers Nanobah Becker, Elisa Harkins.
June 17, 7:30 pm PDT In-person at Hammer Museum and livestream with pre-registration
Realizing Futures: Short Works. From the reclamation of traditional matriarchal ceremony to the activism of poetic expression and depictions of eternal love, this program of short films offers a non-linear approach that reflect how these Indigenous filmmakers see themselves, and the past-present-futures of their communities, and stories. 8 short films including Gently, Jennifer, Chaac & Yum, Long Line of Ladies, This is the Way We Rise. Q&A follows with filmmaker Doane Tulugaq Avery.
June 18, 7:30 pm PDT In-person at Hammer Museum and livestream with pre-registration
An Evening with Sky Hopinka. The work of Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation) explores memory, language and place. While his films intertwine personal stories with larger contexts, they are meditative with their use of imagery and soundscapes. In Jáaji Approximately, he highlights the intergenerational relationship between people and land. Dislocation Blues captures the Water is Life movement complexities against the Dakota Access Pipeline via activist voices. Fainting Spells shares an imagined Xąwįska plant myth, preserving traditional knowledge. Cloudless Blue Egress challenges historical narratives via Fort Marion’s traumatic history for Indigenous people. Sunflower Siege Engine meditates on the reservation system and moments of resistance from Alcatraz to ancestors’ repatriation. This collection of shorts places earlier works from Hopinka in conversation with his most current film, Sunflower Siege Engine, showcasing the woven narrative of resiliency and resistance. Hopinka’s films offer a powerful reflection of contemporary Indigenous life and an essential perspective on Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination struggles.
NFB Online/National Film Board of Canada
Indigenous History Month and Pride Month
This June during Canada’s Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, NFB offers online programming and it’s not restricted to Canada viewing. NFB is showcasing online premieres of two feature docs filmed in the North, and highlighting three curated online channels of Indigenous works, including the debut of a new channel of films from the Wapikoni Mobile collective, founded in 2003 with the support of NFB, which works with francophone Indigenous filmmakers in Quebec, and internationally. For Pride Month, additional Indigenous films are included on the 2SLGBTQI+ channel.
In all, the NFB website now features more than 6,000 online films, as well as a collection of over 100 interactive works. It is very easy to access films on the NFB website, which includes an interactive catalog of Indigenous films.
Indigenous Documentaries – Online Premieres
Starting June 12Voices Across the Water Dir. Fritz Mueller. Featuring Alaskan Tlingit carver Wayne Price and francophone Yukon artist Halin de Repentigny, this documentary follows two master boat builders as they practice their art. A Director’s Note from Mueller about the film will be added to the website starting June 22.
Starting June 16Ever Deadly Dir. Chelsea McMullan, Tanya Tagaq. This documentary weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of Tanya Tagaq, one of the most innovative musical performers of our time.
Indigenous History Month Channels
Wapikoni Mobile On the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Wapikoni collective, a new Wapikoni Mobile channel features 15 films, including Mathieu Vachon’s feature Wapikoni – Encounter in Kitcisakik, accompanying the celebrated studio on wheels as it travels through Indigenous communities, providing production training to youth.
Transmission of Indigenous Knowledgelooks at Indigenous knowledge, practices and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation since time immemorial. This 18-film collection includes three films by legendary director Alanis Obomsawin, as well as Jennie Williams’ Nalujuk Night, an award-winning glimpse into an exhilarating and sometimes terrifying Nunatsiavut tradition.
Indigenous-Made Animation Films is a selection of 22 animated short films made by Inuit, First Nations and Métis filmmakers at the NFB. Highlights include such recent award winners as Terril Calder’s stop-motion Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics and Asinnajaq’s Three Thousand.
The 42-film 2SLGBTQI+ channel for Pride Month features a wide range of stories about identity, family, community and everyday life. Indigenous works include the late Clint Alberta’s 1998 classic Inside Clint Starr and short films by Lorne Olson, Sharon A. Desjarlais, and Diane Obomsawin.
Tribeca Festival
Hybrid. Tickets. June 7-18: films and immersives in-person in New York City. June 19-July 2: films online on standard apps like Roku and Apple TV, and on a stand-alone app on IOS and Android.
Feature Films
Hey Viktor! World premiere. Narrative feature. Canada. Cody Lightning (Cree) In-person, online. It’s been 25 years since all eyes were on the Cree kid from Edmonton who made it big with a starring role in the indie hit Smoke Signals. Now grown up, former child actor Cody Lightning is down on his luck. When his friends stage an intervention, Cody seizes the moment — and camera crew — to take one last shot at producing Smoke Signals 2. With backing from a psycho investor and in hot pursuit of Adam Beach’s wig to tie the film together, Lightning’s irreverent comedy is as smart as it is raunchy, and marks the arrival of a major comedic voice in Native cinema. With rich supporting turns from Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer and Simon Baker, Lightning strikes a balance between riffing on the work of a previous generation and the importance of community.––Cedar Sherbert. Viewpoints section
Je’vidaWorld premiere. Narrative feature. Sapmi-Finland. Katie Gauriloff (Sámi). In Finnish, Skolt Sámi, with English subtitles. In-person, online. When embittered Sámi elder Je’vida returns to her childhood home to ready it for sale, she is flooded with the memories of a life shaped by deep systemic racism and the unyielding love of her grandfather, leading to a life-changing epiphany. Centered by an unforgettable performance by Agafia Niemenmaa, Je’vida is a lyrical testament to the bonds of ancestry and the resilience of Native peoples.–Cedar Sherbert. International Narrative Competition
Panel Sat, June 10, 12:30 pm EDT. Free with registration. In-person.
“Indigenous Storytelling” Panelists in varying areas of media discuss the work it takes and what it means to bring Indigenous stories to audiences. Moderated by Cynthia Benitez, NMAI, with guests Cedar Sherbert (Kumeyaay), Tribeca Festival programmer; Cody Lightning (Cree), writer/director, Hey Viktor!; and Sarah Eagle-Heart (Oglala Lakota), executive producer, Lakota Nation vs.The United States. Co-hosted by the National Museum of the American Indian.
Immersives June 9-17. In-person. Ticket includes access to all Immersives and Games projects.
Meneath: The Mirrors of Ethics Stop-motion installation. Canada. Terril Calder (Métis). The challenging journey of a precocious Métis Baby Girl. Using interfering screens in an object reminiscent of a puppet theater, this stop-motion installation unearths hidden Indigenous values while illuminating the bias of our colonial systems.
Doc Edge
June 19-July 9. Tickets. Online in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Pacific Mother Feature documentary. Japan, New Zealand. Katherine McRae. The filmmaker follows Sachiko Fukumoto, the subject of her short film “Water Baby, as she connects with women from around the Pacific–Hawai’i, Tahiti, the Cook Islands and Aotearoa–to explore birthing knowledge and the connection between caring for the planet and the nurturance by parents of their children
Sailau Feature documentary. Australia. Thor F. Jensen. Danish explorer and director Jenson and three Papuan sailors embark on their world-first attempt to circumnavigate the island of New Guinea, all in a traditional Papuan sailing canoe.
The Endangered Generation? Feature documentary. Australia. Celeste Geer. Narrated by Laura Dean. Exploring the impact of climate change on cultural heritage and traditions, this film features cultural leaders including Maori and First Nations representatives and Indigenous leaders from central Panama, as well as scientists and environmental activists.
Jackson Wild – World Wildlife Day Showcase
“Indigenous Stories”
Ongoing. Free. Streaming on Eventive. After unlocking, 30 days to finish watching.
This encore screening from Jackson Wild, one of the programs originally curated for World Wildlife Day in March, consists of seven films from diverse regions and peoples: The Ghost Rainforest, Aguilucho: Dance of the Harpy Eagle, The Lost Salmon, Seagrass for Sea Change, Living with Lions,The Letter: A Message for Our Earth, Saving the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
DCEFF/Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital
Watch Now: “Indigenous Voices”
“Indigenous Voices” is a section of more than 50 films In the DCEFF catalog of 300+ films now online that have been programmed in previous festivals. Some films stream on the DCEFF website. Some are available on third-party platforms such as Hulu that may require a subscription or pay per view.
FILMS and FESTIVALS
In-person
NMAI At the Movies
Café Daughter
Sat, June 17, 1-3 pm. Free. In-person at NMAI in New York
Café Daughter Narrative feature. Canada. Shelley Niro. In a small Saskatchewan town in the 1960s, Yvette Wong, a young girl of Chinese and Cree heritage, struggles with her Indigenous identity amidst family tragedy in this coming-of-age film directed by Mohawk artist and filmmaker Shelley Niro (Mohawk-Six Nations).Yvette’s mother, Katherine, discourages her from embracing her Cree identity, so she explores it in secret. As she learns more about herself and her Indigenous heritage, she encounters the realities of being Indigenous, facing prejudice with pride and holding fast to her dreams. Discussion follows with the filmmaker. The screening is preceded by a book signing of the catalog for the current exhibition, “Shelley Niro: The 500-Year Itch.”
Hot Docs
Indigenous Peoples Month Series
June 1-30. Tickets. In-person in Toronto. Two free screenings on June 21, Canada’s Indigenous Peoples Day. Check website for days and times of all screenings.
Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting Feature documentary. US. Aviva Kempner, Ben West. As the sports world slowly begins to evolve past the use of offensive Indigenous imagery, some remain stubborn in their refusal to change. Meet the activists unraveling these harmful legacies. Q&A follows with filmmaker Aviva Kempner.
Ever Deadly Feature documentary. Canada. Tanya Tagaq, Chelsea McMullan. One of the most innovative performers of our time, Tanya Tagaq leads the audience through pain and triumph in this musical and cinematic experience. Preceded by Ancestral Threads. Free screening on 6/21.
Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun Feature documentary. Canada. Banchi Hanuse. An intimate and thrilling portrait of a young Siksika woman in the Blackfoot Territory as she prepares for one of the most dangerous horse races in the world. Introduced by imagineNATIVE. Free screening on 6/21..
TAFFNY/The Americas Film Festival in New York
NMAI At the Movies
Fancy Dance
Thurs, June 22, 6-7:30 pm. Free. In-person at NMAI in New York
Fancy Dance Narrative feature. US. Erica Tremblay (Seneca, Cayuga). Featuring Lily Gladstone, Isabel Deroy-Olson. Following her sister’s disappearance, Jax kidnaps her niece Roki from the child’s white grandparents and sets out for the state powwow in hopes of keeping what is left of their family intact. Screening presented in conjunction with the closing night of The Americas Film Festival NY and is preceded by the TAFFNY Awards Show.
deadCenter Film Festival
June 8-11. Tickets. In-person in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma’s largest film festival welcomes 20,000 plus film enthusiasts and industry professionals every June, showing groundbreaking films from around the world, while showcasing the best from Oklahoma. Indigenous professionals for the deadCenter festival include programmers Sunrise Tippeconnie (Navajo, Comanche) and Paris Burris (Chickasaw, Choctaw), and Colleen Thurston (Choctaw) is serving as a 2023 juror.
Bad Press Feature documentary. US. Joe Peeler, Rebecca Landsberry-Baker When the Muscogee Nation suddenly begins censoring its free press, a rogue reporter fights to expose her government’s corruption in a historic battle that will have ramifications for all of Indian Country.
ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak) Feature documentary. US. Schon Duncan, Michael McDermit. While there are 430,000 Cherokee citizens in the three federally recognized tribes, fewer than an estimated 2,000 fluent speakers remain—the majority of whom are elderly. Language activists, artists, and the youth must now lead the charge of urgent radical revitalization efforts to help save the language from the brink of extinction
Fancy Dance Narrative feature. US. Erica Tremblay. Following her sister’s disappearance, a Native American hustler kidnaps her niece from the child’s white grandparents and sets out for the state powwow in the hopes of keeping what’s left of her family intact.
The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo Documentary. US. Mark Williams. The inspiring story of Choctaw women from Standing Pine, a very small reservation community in Mississippi, and their love for their ancient game of Choctaw stickball. Against all odds they compete in the World Series of Stickball in hopes of bringing their first title back home.
Provincetown Film Festival
June 14-18. Tickets. In-person in Provincetown, MA
Lakota Nation VS. United States Feature documentary. US. Jesse Short Bull, Laura Tomaselli. Weaving powerful interviews with classic old Hollywood film and TV clips that propelled long-standing bias, this chronicles the Lakota century-long quest to reclaim the Black Hills, sacred land that was stolen in violation of treaty agreements.
ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak) Feature documentary. US. Schon Duncan, Michael McDermit. Fewer than an estimated 2,000 fluent speakers of Cherokee remain, and language activists, are working to activate use of the language before it has gone extinct.
Frameline47
This Place
Wed, June 21: Tickets. In-person in San Francisco. June 24-July 2: streaming in California
Founded in 1977, the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival is the longest-running and largest LGBTQ+ film exhibition event in the world, with an annual attendance of 60,000+.
This Place Narrative feature. Canada. V.T. Nayani. In English, French, Persian, Mohawk, Tamil. What does it mean to belong to a place, a tribe, a family? Two women–one Tamil, the other half Mohawk, half Iranian–search for answers to these questions and more as they meet, explore the city of Toronto, and slowly begin to fall in love. Executive produced, co-written, and starring Devery Jacobs (Independent Spirit Award winner for Reservation Dogs), the film speaks to the struggles of identity, the creative process, family and the universal search for love and acceptance.
Bentonville Film Festival
Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun
Thurs, June 15. Tickets. In-person in Bentonville, AR
Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun Feature documentary. Canada. Banchi Hanuse. In Blackfoot Territory, Logan Red Crow, a young Siksika woman, follows her passion for the tough competition of Indian Relay. In-person only.
Cine las Americas International Film Festival
Last day! June 11. Tickets. In-person in Austin, Texas
Miwene Feature documentary. Ecuador. Keith Heyward, Jennifer Berglund, Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga (Waorani), Obe Beatriz Nenquimo Nihua (Waorani). In Spanish, Waoterero, English. Steeped in the long oral tradition of Waorani storytelling, Gange Yeti shares her own coming-of-age story as a young Waorani woman living deep within the Amazon rainforest. As the granddaughter of one of the last Waorani elders who lived in complete isolation before outside contact, Gange is determined to capture her grandmother’s unique experience while she still can — balancing school, motherhood, and tradition along the way.
Bones of Crows Narrative feature. Canada. Marie Clements (Métis). In English, Cree. Removed from their family home and forced into Canada’s residential school system, Cree musical prodigy Aline and her siblings are plunged into a struggle for survival. BONES OF CROWS is Aline’s journey from child to matriarch, a moving multi-generational epic of resilience, survival and the pursuit of justice
NATIVE CREATIVITY
Theater, Performance
Cornerstone Theater Company
Wicoun
May 25-June 16. In-person on the lands of the Oceti Sakowin (South Dakota)
Wicoun by Larissa Fast Horse (Sicangu Lakota). Directed by Michael John Garces. Áya and their brother have their hands full raising their siblings and cousins, dealing with zombies on the prowl, and trying to graduate high school. But after Áya summons a traditional Lakota superhero in a moment of bravery, they have to embark on a journey across the lands of the Oceti Sakowin to find answers in the old stories, within themselves, and in Paha Sapa.
This new production is the third in a series of Cornerstone’s productions in collaboration with playwright Larissa Fast Horse. It was created with and for the interconnected, but widely dispersed, residents of the Sicangu Lakota Nation (Rosebud), Oglala Lakota Nation (Pine Ridge), Ihanktonwan Dakota Oyate (Yankton) and other Lakota reservations, as well as Rapid City. Wicoun is being performed in these and other South Dakota communities from late May through early June, 2023.
National Museum of the American Indian
“Native Pride Extravaganza”
Fri, June 23, 7-9 pm EDT. Free. First come, first served. In-person at NMAI in New York
This year’s NYC Pride theme is “Strength in Solidarity.” To celebrate, the museum is presenting an evening of dynamic and fun performances that showcase the rich diversity of the Indigenous LGBTQIA+ community. Landa Lakes (Chickasaw) hosts an extravaganza of dance, music, and humor featuring fellow Indigenous drag performers Lady Shug (Diné), Sage Chanell (Shawnee/Ponca/Otoe/Lakota Sioux), and Papi Churro (Coahuiltecan/NahuaThis year’s NYC Pride theme is “Strength in Solidarity.” To celebrate, the museum is presenting an evening of dynamic and fun performances that showcase the rich diversity of the Indigenous LGBTQIA+ community. Landa Lakes (Chickasaw) hosts an extravaganza of dance, music, and humor featuring fellow Indigenous drag performers Lady Shug (Diné), Sage Chanell (Shawnee/Ponca/Otoe/Lakota Sioux), and Papi Churro (Coahuiltecan/Nahua
Bard’s Fisher Center | Spiegeltent
“Nicholas Galanin and Ya Tseen”
Sat, June 24. Tickets. In-person at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Ya Tseen (“be alive” in Tlingit) is the electro-soul music project of artist Nicholas Galanin, one of the most vital voices in contemporary art. Their debut release, Indian Yard, explores love, desire, frustration, pain, revolution, and connection through the magnetic expressions of an Indigenous mind, rich with emotional range and sharp awareness. Co-presented with the Center for Indigenous Studies at Bard
EXHIBITIONS
Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College
“Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-determination Since 1969”
June 24-Nov 26. Free. Reservations recommended. In-person in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
This highly original exhibition centers performance and theater as an origin point for the development of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada and US. It offers a survey of video, performance, sculpture, painting, drawing, and beadwork and features more than100 works by artists representing a range of perspectives and practices, including Dana Claxton (Lakota). Theo Jean Cuthand (Plains Cree, Scottish, Irish), Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill (Métis), Cannupa Hanska Luger (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota), James Luna (Payómkawichum, Ipai, Mexican), Lloyd Kiva New (Cherokee), New Red Order, Spiderwoman Theater, Dyani White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota).
Performances and activations by Rebecca Belmore (Lac Seul First Nation (Anishinaabe)), Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Unangax̂), Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Cherokee descent), Maria Hupfield (Wasauksing First Nation (Anishnaabek)), Kite (Oglala Sioux) and Eric-Paul Riege (Diné) provide provocative perspectives–on oration and music, on colonialist interventions into Indigenous cultures, on the MMIWTG2ST+ crisis, on Indigenous cosmologies. Curated by Candice Hopkins (Carcross/Tagish First Nation), Forge Project’s Executive Director and CCS Bard’s Fellow in Indigenous Art History and Curatorial Studies, with curatorial research led by Amelia Russo.
Museum of Contemporary Art Denver
“Anna Tsouhlarakis: Indigenous Absurdities”
June 14-Sept 10. Tickets. In-person in Denver
In this exhibition of new works, Anna Tsouhlarakis (Navajo, Muscogee Creek descent, Greek descent) investigates the layering of truths and histories within comical stories and jokes, and how the anecdotes reflect Indigenous identity. “Indian humor” is a colloquial name for Native American jokes dealing with specific tribes, families, and, occasionally, specific people. Sourcing research from friends, family, and a broad network of Native communities across the US, Tsouhlarakis has collected Indigenous jokes and stories and deconstructed them only to reassemble them as abstract drawings, photography, video, and sculptures. This exhibition is curated by Leilani Lynch, Associate Curator at MCA Denver. Accompanying programming will include an in-gallery talk with the artist on June 27, as well as a comedy show featuring Native comedians at The Holiday Theater on August 24.
Heard Museum
“The North Star Changes: Works by Brenda Mallory”
Through Feb 5, 2024. Tickets. In-person in Phoenix
The exhibition features sculptures that Brenda Mallory (Cherokee Nation) has made using reclaimed and found objects, some taking the form of large-scale installations. Mallory describes her process as bricolage—something constructed or created from a diverse range of available things. In some of her mixed-media works, she has cut apart and reformed linen fire hoses into composed wall hangings, has sliced open spools of industrial thread to form fields of color, and has worked with reclaimed drive belts of various types to create linear “drawings” that are rich in texture and pattern. This exhibition is based on the idea that humans perceive the North Star as permanent. Currently, Polaris is the North Star, but over the course of thousands of years, different stars assume the position and the name. Permanence becomes impermanence, and Mallory notes, “The idea of things changing has always been in my work.”
TALKING ABOUT
Artist Panel, A Convening
NMAI Youth in Action | Juventud en acción
“Wearing Our PRIDE” | “Luciendo nuestro ORGULLO”
On-demand. In English with English and Spanish captions
Fashion is often used to confirm identities, challenge social structures, and display. Discover the joy of fashion in our conversation celebrating PRIDE month with Angel Aubichon (Cree, Métis), Alex Manitopyes (Cree, Anishinaabe), Adrian Stevens (Northern Ute, Shoshone-Bannock, San Carlos Apache), and Sean Snyder (Navajo, Southern Ute). Moderated by Vogue editor Christian Allaire (Ojibwe). Presented live on June 1, 2023.
Banff World Media Festival
Indigenous Screen Summit
June 11-14. Professional passes for admission. In-person in Banff, Alberta
The Indigenous Screen Summit (ISS) returns for the second year at Banff Media Festival, where it showcases First Nations, Métis and Inuit creators and their unique stories across a variety of genres. The ISS’s central event is the Indigenous Screen Summit Pitch Forum that offers Indigenous producers and creators a unique opportunity to pitch their in-development–Drama, Comedy, Unscripted /Documentary projects–to a panel of Canadian and international buyers, in front of an industry audience. A dedicated ISS stream continues embedded within the main BANFF program.
This year’s Pitch Forum features Indigenous-led projects by Elle-Máijá TailFeathers, Harold Joe,Janet (January) Rogers, Jessica Matten, Judy Iseke, Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore, Mary Galloway, Megan McNeill, Nadia Mike, Neegan Trudel, Sage Daniels, Saxon de Cocq, Tanner Zurkoski, Tasha Hubbard, Victoria Anderson-Gardner.
Awards and Honors
2023 Peabody Awards – Nominations
The Board of Jurors has announced the nominees for the Peabody Awards. The Award Ceremonies, mostly scheduled for June, have been postponed until resolution of the WGA/Writers Guild of America strike. Among those nominated are:
“Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s” – Podcast/Radio. Investigative journalist Connie Walker delves into her own family history and uncovers the trauma passed down through generations as part of one of Canada’s darkest chapters, the residential school system for indigenous children, showing the ways that personal secrets and national shame reinforce one another. Spotify & Gimlet Media (Spotify)
Reservation Dogs – Entertainment. The Reservation Dogs teens continue to pursue their California dreams while struggling to mend their relationships with each other and facing down more grown-up problems, from dying loved ones to making a living, in the masterful second season of TV’s first all-Indigenous series. FX Productions (FX)
Silence Means Death– Entertainment. This is, indeed, a historical queer pirate rom-com. The series follows Stede Bonnet, a Barbadian aristocrat (Rhys Darby), as he leaves his life behind to become a pirate, leads a crew, and falls in love with the notorious Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). HBO Max in association with Waititi, Human Animals and DIVE (HBO Max)
The Territory– Documentary. This immersive documentary looks deeply and freshly at the tireless fight of the Amazon’s Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people against the encroaching deforestation brought by farmers and illegal settlers. National Geographic Documentary Films
2023 Pulitzer Prizes
The Prize for Audio Journalism: “Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s” Podcast Series. Investigative reporter and host Connie Walker (Cree-Okanese First Nation) and the Gimlet Media team, including reporter Betty Ann Adam (Fond du Lac Denesuline Nation) and journalist Chantelle Bellrichard (Métis).
Finalist for the Prize in History: Michael John Witgen (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe) for his book Seeing Red: Indigenous Land, American Expansion, and the Political Economy of Plunder in North America. “…Against long odds, the Anishinaabeg resisted removal, retaining thousands of acres of their homeland in what is now Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota…In telling the stories of tribal leaders and territorial governors, mixed-race traders and missionaries, Witgen challenges our assumptions about the inevitability of U.S. expansion…”
NEA – GAP/Grants for Arts Projects
GAP, the National Endowment for the Arts’ grants program for organizations, provides matching grants that range from $10,000 to $100,000. The 2023 grantees include yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective, a community of intertribal Indigenous artists rematriating 1.5 acres of land in South Seattle, on Coast Salish territories. Their mission is to help improve Indigenous well-being through art-making, community building, and equitable creative opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Hot Docs Forum: First Look – First Prize
First Look prizes are financed by members of Hot Docs First Look, a curated access program for philanthropic supporters of and investors in documentary film who award the prizes for the best pitches.
2023 First Prize, with an award of $50,000 Can ($36,700 US), went to I of the Water directed by Kimberlee Bassford. Prods: Kimberlee Bassford, Marilyn McFadyen, Vilsoni Hereniko, Leanne K. Ferrer, Cheryl Hirasa, Linda Goldstein Knowlton | Making Waves Films LLC (USA). The film is about acclaimed Samoan writer Sia Figiel’s journey toward healing.
NFMLA/New Filmmakers Los Angeles
Awards and Nominations
Nominees across 16 award categories were selected from films that screened as part of the year-long 2022 NFMLA Monthly Film Festival cycle.
Winners: Best Feature Documentary and Best Score
UŸRA-The Rising Forest directed by Juliana Curi.
Composer Nascuy Linares for score for UŸRA
Other nominations for Indigenous creatives and productions with Indigenous stories
Best Documentary: Apache Leap Christian Rozier
Best Short Film: Long Line of Ladies Shaandiin Tome, Rayka Zehtabchi, Women of the Earth, Twila Chiara Hollender, The Original Shareholder Experience Peter Xyst
Best Screenplay Peter Xyst for The Original Shareholder Experience
Best Performance – Comedy: Briana Gonzalez in The Original Shareholder Experience
