2011 FILMS A to Z

“Bloodland” is a social statement on the irreversible and detrimental impact of gas and oil exploration on our planet; and in particular on the impact that hydraulic fracturing will have on the Blood Reserve in Canada. The film was shot with a completely Indigenous cast and crew. For more information on the issue of hydraulic fracturing on the Blood

Nick Thomas, a Pomo Indian and a successful Los Angeles radio host, is forced back to the reservation to help his brother Chi (Gil Birmingham), and tribal leader Rich Knight (Gary Farmer) lead the Tule Lake Rancheria out of danger from a seedy casino investor (Mark Boone Jr.), ultimately claiming sovereignty of their Native American rights.

The struggles inherent on reservations today are depicted in this day-in-the-life drama based on true characters and events.  The film dispels current stereotypes and myths about modern Native American culture while showcasing the depths of the heritage that thrives today.

     The mainstream permeates our lives in many ways.  This piece is demonstrative of Native youth clinging to their culture and adapting it in the modern world.

http://www.torresmartinez.org/

Set to music by Little Hawk, this animated and starkly honest story is a daughter’s tribute to her estranged mother.

Chefs try to survive this ultr-violent and “Styrofoam” version of Hell’s Kitchen. Sponsored by every kitchen appliance you can think of…

http://www.sacandfoxnation-nsn.gov/

The Pine Ridge Reservation is home to the Oglala Sioux.  Located in the Southwest corner of South Dakota, the Lakota speaking Natives have one of the most fascinating, controversial, and difficult histories a group of people hav ever told. From the infamous Wounded Massacre to the loss of the Black Hills, to a present day unemployment rate of 80%, the residents of Pine Ridge have many difficult stories to tell.

Yet, these are not the only stories to come out of Pine Ridge.  The Oglala Lakota’s incredibly rich culture and history are full of fascinating traditions and stories that have shaped the identity of the people and their home.  Language of the Unheard is a documentary looking to capture just a few of these stories, both of struggle and of identity, in hopes of giving a voice to a group of people who have not had one.

We hope that through this film, we can begin to get an idea of who people of Pine Ridge really are, and what stories they have to share.

http://www.tonkawatribe.com/

     My Dance is a short documentary about the traditional pow wow dances of two Native American youth in Los Angeles, CA. 

http://www.torresmartinez.org/

The Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma has endured many hardships, difficulties and obstacles over the past one hundred years.  This is a short documentary that details their history and highlights their contemporary achievements.

http://www.tonkawatribe.com/

Sam Kruse meets a female scientist, Coda Hunter, while he is trying to stay one step ahead of a killer targeting scientists that are developing a hybrid cariola retrovirus.

Sam’s father was a scientist in Denmark.  As Sam’s father developed the virus he realized the danger if it were released. He bega crating a vaccine, but was murdered before it was finished.  Two similar crimes have been committed against scientists working on the same virus. Sam has followed the crimes to Los Angeles, CA to the laboratory of Dr. Thomas.  Unfortunately, Sam is too late and can only attend Dr. Thomas’s funeral.  There he meets Coda Hunter, a colleague of Dr. Thomas.  This is where story begins.

     TANF youth produce a poignant piece about teenage pregnancy.  Told with stunning visuals in classis black and white with a haunting sound track.

http://www.torresmartinez.org/

THE DOME OF HEAVEN (Starring Wes Studi, Noah Watts and Thirza Defoe) is a contemporary drama set in Vici, Oklahoma.  Flutie Moses, a mixed-blood Cherokee girl wants to go to college despite the poverty of her family, and low self-esteem.  Flutie’s father and brother run Hampton’s Garage, repairing and customizing old cars.  Flutie has trouble standing on her own in her volatile and overbearing family.  She eventually finds her voice through circumstances and an act of will.  The film is about the struggles for self-reliance, the acceptance of limitations, and the significance of a small voice.

     The story is influenced by the myth of Philomela.  Raped by her brother-in-law, he cut out her tongue so she couldn’t tell her sister, who was his wife.  But Philomela wove a tapestry and sent it to her sister.  Her sister, furious, killed their son, cut him into pieces, and fed him to her husband.  When he came after them, Philomela and her sister turned into a nightingale and a swallow and flew away.  The rape is not the issue in this story, but the inability to speak.  As Flutie faces the silence of the land and the turmoil of her family, she feels she also is without a tongue.  Her brother, Franklin, meanwhile, steals auto parts from his father, then sells his father’s own parts back to him, eventually spending several weeks in the Taloga jail.  Later, when Franklin accidentally shoots himself, Flutie realizes it was Franklin who did not have a tongue, or a way to express his frustration. 

     The film is a slow journey into the loss of identity in native history, and the separation of the family from themselves. 

     Q&A with filmmaker and reception to follow.

     THE PATH WITHOUT END is an experimental animation that retells Anishinaabe stories of the Moon People. THE PATH WITHOUT END experiments with beadwork and raw materials in a lo-fi steampunk animation that retells Anishinaabe stories of the Moon People with otherworldly imagery and the mesmerizing music of Cris Derksen. 

In Santa Fe, New Mexico there lives a vibrant artist community that has impacted the North American and global art world in many ways over the last century. As the second oldest city in the United States it has seen American masters such as Georgia O’Keefe rise to prominence depicting the Southwestern scenes throughout New Mexico that still continue to thrill collectors world-wide. The prominence of these few famous artists, however, is at times so great as to force other great artists from the region to quietly ply their trade in relative anonymity. Unconquered is a short documentary of one such artist and his influence on both Native American and modern American art.

In this documentary, students explore the topic of what is a Native American, asking the question to their community members as well as to the larger community in the hopes of showing the diversity among our community and the stereotypes we must overcome.

     Ninjas are the deadliest warriors on earth but WATER NINJAS are even deadlier.  In this animated suspense thriller, WATER NINJAS do battle only to have a cow intervene.

http://www.sacandfoxnation-nsn.gov/