You are here5pm November 19th, 2011
5pm November 19th, 2011
2011 EMERGING FILMMAKERS PROGRAM
This program is a collection of Native-made and Native-themed short films that range from animation, documentary and drama. Each film is a Los Angeles Premiere.
Rise of a Hero
The follow up to the action-packed “Invasion of Turtle Island,” – M5N: Rise of a Hero” pits our mighty superheroes against a rising criminal mastermind, whose only goal us to thrust By The Rapids into a casino-less state of anarchy and bring M5Ns loyal Towel Boy over to the dark side!
3 TALES OF CHOICE
These three animations were designed for adolescents using Native American stories to demonstrate how our choices can affect the rest of our lives in regards to drugs, alcohol and health. The first story is about a humble, selfless mouse that transforms into an eagle for his deed of kindness. The second story is about a raven that is always trying to imitate others, thus never growing and becoming unique. The last story is about a girl who chooses the shiniest star and is fooled by its brightness into a life that isn't so bright, while her sister is satisfied by just an ordinary star and lives out a life of happiness.
THE PATH WITHOUT END
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.
EMPTY
Set to music by Little Hawk, this animated and starkly honest story is a daughter’s tribute to her estranged mother.
WALKING IN TWO WORLDS
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.
MISSING
A young girl discovers a murderer in her community and she is the only one who can stop him.
RUSER
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.
LANGUAGE OF THE UNHEARD
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.
LIFE'S BLOOD
Battling his fears of inadequacy and inability to survive the 'real' world, Luis Molina, a young urban artist, struggles with his addiction to crack cocaine. Questioning his capabilities, his way of life, even his very existence, he tries to find a way to hang on to his world.
The visions that explode in his mind, find their way on to the page in drawings and words, as he reaches for salvation. A final desperate call to his brother as he flickers between reality and surreality, catapults him to a place of peace when he allows his inner strength to guide him. The light of understanding comes with the knowledge that we all have choices...
If we're lucky, the most important ones won't come too late.
