AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL 48
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Program 7 | Doc Shorts
Monday, November 6, 2023 10:30 AM PST
San Francisco Public Library

Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come)

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Pronunciation: Weckuwapasihtit [Wetch-guh-WAH-buh-zee-dehd]


On the Eastern reaches of the occupied territory now referred to as North America, the children of Koluskap call upon ancestral teachings to guide them. Revitalizing cultural practices kept from their elders, Peskotomuhkati young people lead an intergenerational process of healing through the reclamation of athasikuwi-pisun, "tattoo medicine."


***

Director Biography


Geo Neptune (Passamaquoddy Tribe) is from Indian Township, Maine, and is a Two-Spirit Master Basketmaker, a Drag Queen, an Activist, and an Educator. Following graduation from Dartmouth College where they earned a theater degree, Geo returned to the Indian Township reservation, where they began to focus heavily on their weaving and developing their own individual artistic style. Experimenting with their family's signature woven flowers mixed with natural elements of twigs and branches, Geo began forming what would eventually be known as their signature sculptural style of whimsical, elegant, traditionally-informed basketmaking. Geo is a vocal advocate for First Nations and Native American sovereignty and was recently elected to the school board in Indian Township, making them the first openly transgender person to be elected to public office in the state of Maine.

















Brianna Smith (Passamaquoddy) grew up in Sipayik with a camera in her hand. She is a mother, aunt, friend, youth mentor, and photographer, well-known for capturing memories of her friends, family, and community. She describes her photography work as being heavily influenced by her upbringing and environment and includes subjects that illustrate culture, community, family, risk & protective factors, and resiliency. Her work captures strong, proud indigenous people, while intentionally breaking down negative stereotypes and boxes of what Indigenous people are and what people think they should be. Brianna also works as a Youth and Communications Coordinator for Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness, where she advises Tribal Youth Councils, guiding them to find their voices and empowering them to make positive changes in their communities as well as throughout all of Turtle Island.

Showings – select to order tickets:
Mon, Nov 6th, 10:30 AM @ San Francisco Public Library
  • Year:
    2022
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes
  • Country:
    United States
  • Genre:
    Documentary Short
  • Director:
    Geo Neptune, Brianna Smith
  • Producer:
    Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, and Tracy Rector
  • Executive Producer:
    Tracy Rector
  • Composer:
    Geo Neptune

Our Grandmother The Inlet

Drama
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A hybrid documentary film that examines the lives of Kayah George, a young Indigenous woman, and her grandmother Ta7a, the daughter of the renowned Chief Dan George. Delving into their ancestral lineage, the film takes you on a poignant journey as it highlights the significance of Kayah’s deep connection to water, revered in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation as their oldest grandmother and the birthplace of creation. Amidst the backdrop of industry dominance, the film sheds light on the mental health challenges faced by Indigenous youth and their enduring spirit of gentle reclamation as they strive to reconnect with their culture, water, and land as kin and relatives. With its powerful imagery, infused with cultural nuances and the echoes of past and present Indigenous-led struggles, this timely production carries a profound and relevant message


•••


Directors Biography


JAIME GIANOPOULOS:

Jaime Leigh (Demetra) Gianopoulos is a director, producer, and editor based in Vancouver, Canada. Her projects primarily concern the empowerment of women and social and environmental justice. Her grandparents are from two small villages in Laconia, Greece. Jaime Leigh has spent many years journeying back to her ancestral roots to reconnect to the land and water.

Jaime is the co-producer, co-director, and editor of the short film ‘Our Grandmother the Inlet’ which received funding from the ‘Canada Council for the Arts' and the ‘Hot Doc’s Cross Current fund.' The film features her co-director, Kayah George, as a reciprocal love letter portraying a young indigenous woman's intrinsic love towards the water and inlet. Loving and living in reciprocity with the water the same way one would with their Grandmother (Ta7a).


KAYAH GEORGE:

Kayah George ‘Halth-Leah’ (she/they) proudly carries the teachings of her Tulalip and Tsleil-Waututh Nations and has been on the front lines fighting against the Trans Mountain pipeline for more than half of her life. She is a young Indigenous environmental leader, activist, poet, and first-time filmmaker. Kayah has spoken globally about climate justice and shared the teachings of her nations to honor and care for the earth. She has worked with several environmental organizations, including Indigenous Climate Action (an Indigenous-led organization guided by a diverse group of Indigenous knowledge keepers, water protectors, and land defenders), to build capacity for an Indigenous-led divestment movement. Kayah is currently working on a short film that shares the intrinsic connection the Tsleil-Waututh people have to the 'Burrard' Inlet.

Showings
Mon, Nov 6th, 10:30 AM @ San Francisco Public Library
  • Year:
    2023
  • Runtime:
    0:08:43
  • Language:
    English
  • Country:
    Canada
  • Genre:
    Documentary Short
  • Note:
    Stylist: Joleen Mitton, Costume Designer: Curtis Oland, Traditional Weaver: Michelle George, Hair & Makeup: Elizabeth McLeod, Location Sound: Peter Robinson
Location Sound: Ramsay Bourquin, Production Designer: Charlie Hannah, Film Development: Mels Studios
Film Scanning: Peter Hagge, Colourist: Sam Gilling 
Sound Designer: Sharon Tseng

  • Director:
    Jaime Leigh (Demetra) Gianopoulos, Kayah George
  • Screenwriter:
    Jaime Leigh (Demetra) Gianopoulos, Kayah George
  • Producer:
    Angelica Stirpe, Shelby Manton
  • Executive Producer:
    Jaime Leigh (Demetra) Gianopoulos, Kayah George, Sebastien Galina, Shelby Manton, Geoff Manton, Kristoff Duxbury
  • Cast:
    Kayah George, Rueben George, Joe Buffalo, Amy George
  • Cinematographer:
    Farhad Ghaderi
  • Editor:
    Jaime Gianopoulos
  • Composer:
    Greg Gianopoulos
  • Sound Design:
    Sharon Tseng

pî-kiwîk

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pî-kiwîk, will bring viewers on a heartfelt journey of how reconnecting to one's culture and family can be life-changing, grounding and how it can provide a sense of belonging, pride and purpose .Through this short-documentary, I will capture my personal journey of reconnection as a mixed child of a 60s scoop survivor (disconnected generationally), a grandchild of 2 residential school survivors and as someone who grew up globally and disconnected from my family in kîwîtinohk kisiskâciwanihk. I will capture the raw emotions, the heartfelt inspiration, the nitty gritty of building relationships with my family while navigating intergenerational trauma and the beauty of it all, as seen in the scenery of the land, the waters, nohkom’s voice and heard in my reclamation and learning of the Woodland Cree language. Through the telling of my own personal story of returning to and finding home in my community in Northern Saskatchewan, I will convey the transformative power of finding oneself in relation to one's family, language and culture. Disconnection (due to colonization and forced assimilation) is a sadly common experience for Indigenous peoples across these lands, pî-kiwîk will not only show the strength within Indigenous communities and matriarchs but also that reconnection is possible. pî-kiwîk, come home, our families and ancestors are waiting for us.


•••


Director Biography


Keisha (wapahkesis) is a 2S nīhithaw (Woods Cree) emerging artist, academic and a band member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in north-central Saskatchewan. They are also Afro-Caribbean (Jamaican) on their mom’s side. Keisha holds a B.A. Honors in Indigenous Studies from York University and is undertaking their Master’s of Educational Foundations at the University of Saskatchewan with a research focus on community-led Indigenous language revitalization. They are a second language learner of nihithawiwin (Woodland Cree-TH dialect) and has released a Cree Kids Book that they illustrated themselves and translated with help from their Cree mentor Christine McKenzie. In the past year, Keisha was selected as part of NSI Indigidocs program and is in the post-production of their film, pî-kiwîk (Come Home) that will premiere on on APTN, documentary Channel, CBC Gem, NFB platform, nsifilms.ca and aptnlumi.ca in 2024. Keisha’s dreams are to get into filmmaking and animation and through which, to tell stories in their Indigenous language (Cree) to inspire and encourage youth to learn Cree.

Showings
Mon, Nov 6th, 10:30 AM @ San Francisco Public Library
  • Year:
    2023
  • Runtime:
    0:10:01
  • Language:
    Cree, English
  • Country:
    Canada
  • Genre:
    Documentary Short
  • Director:
    Keisha Erwin
  • Screenwriter:
    Keisha Erwin
  • Producer:
    Keisha Erwin, Lori Lozinski

6 minutes/km

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In rhythm with the footsteps of her Atikamekws ancestors, Catherine immerses us in the dreamlike universe of her morning runs.

•••


Director Biography

Catherine Boivin is a multidisciplinary Atikamekw Nehirowisiw artist based in Odanak. She obtained a Bachelor's of Visual and Media Arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She works in media and performance arts, in particular. Marathoner, pow wow dancer and TikToker, she is involved both artistically and socially in raising awareness about Indigenous realities. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Wapikoni Mobile.

Showings – select to order tickets:
Mon, Nov 6th, 10:30 AM @ San Francisco Public Library
  • Year:
    2023
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes
  • Language:
    French
  • Country:
    Canada
  • Premiere:
    US Premiere
  • Genre:
    Documentary Short
  • Subtitle Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Catherine Chantal-Boivin
  • Producer:
    Wapikoni mobile

ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught)

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The tile ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (pronounced oo-day-yo-nuh) is Cherokee.


Filmed on the Qualla Boundary and Cherokee Nation, ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker. ᎤᏕᏲᏅ circles the intersection of tradition, language, land, and a commitment to maintaining balance. This film was created in collaboration with independent artists from both Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians


This film is part of a series and multimedia platform, made in partnership with Indigenous storytellers and their communities worldwide, invites learning from time-honored and current Indigenous ways of being. Facing a climate crisis, the Reciprocity Project embraces Indigenous value systems that have bolstered communities since the beginning of time. To heal, we must recognize that we are in relationship with Earth, a place that was in balance for millennia. More information at www.reciprocity.org.


•••


Director Biography


Brit Hensel is an Oklahoma based writer and award-winning filmmaker whose work focuses on Indigenous storytelling and environmental justice. A citizen of Cherokee Nation, she was recently awarded the 4th World Indigenous Media Fellowship and is a 2022 Tulsa Artist Fellow. Previously, Brit directed the documentary films, Zibi Yajdan (2019) and Native and American (2017). Brit’s films have screened both nationally and abroad, including Māoriland Film Festival. She was awarded NeXtGen’s 30 Under 30 and was a NeXt Doc Collective Film Fellow.


In 2019, she worked as a producer for Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People, an Emmy-winning, documentary-style program featuring the people, places, history, and culture of the Cherokee Nation. Brit recently worked on the first season of the FX series, Reservation Dogs.


Brit’s work largely explores traditional Cherokee values, language, and her peoples’ connection to land in Oklahoma (former Indian Territory) and in her ancestral homelands of North Carolina (Qualla Boundary). Brit continues to use her love for storytelling to help amplify the voices and values of her community. Most importantly, she hopes her work honors and makes Cherokee people proud.

Showings – select to order tickets:
Mon, Nov 6th, 10:30 AM @ San Francisco Public Library
  • Year:
    2022
  • Runtime:
    0:09:18
  • Language:
    English
  • Country:
    United States
  • Genre:
    Documentary Short
  • Director:
    Brit Hensel
  • Producer:
    Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector
  • Executive Producer:
    Tracy Rector
  • Cast:
    Thomas Belt, John Henry Gloyne, Ernie Tiger, Elwood Gloyne, Waloshi Gloyne, Booger Gloyne, Beau Carroll, Johi Griffin, Bear Allison, Keli Gonzales, Tsinas Johnson, Sanoyi Johnson, Walei Johnson, JP Johnson
  • Cinematographer:
    Nick Buttram, Brit Hensel, Blake Brown
  • Editor:
    Sauli Pillay
  • Composer:
    Daniel Bachman
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
November 6, 2023, 10:30 - 11:45 AM PST