M3 Blog Post: American Indian Film Insitute


The online resource I reviewed was American Indian Film Institute website.  The opening page states, “The American Indian Film Institute is the premier Native American media and cultural arts exposition in the West Coast and its annual film festival is the world’s oldest forum dedicated to Native American cinema. Each year the American Indian Film Festival®aims to provide a diverse audience of people from all nations, multigenerational, and local community with a passion for film and interest in Native people and life, and opportunity to meet, explore, experience and honor all those involved in the contemporary Native film industry.” (American Indian Film Institute, 2019)  there are seventy two films being presented at this years Film Festival showcasing various topics, some of the topics include vaping and addiction, boarding schools and the wounds that they caused, life on the reservation, documentaries on rising acitvists, animations documenting history and stories passed down to children. 

The website provides trailers to each movie so the viewer can view the movie, one trailer I viewed was a documentary on the rise of a young activist.  “And Now We Rise, A Portrait of Samuel John” https://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi569490201  This man is reuniting the homeless Inuit with their families and speaks to school children in taking pride in their culture and themselves.   



There is such a blend of new and old in this film festival and it would be interesting to see some of these films.  One that sparked my interest also was a film on hip  hop.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2EeNmfNzjE





This website peaks your interest in a wide variety of information that’s presented in  various ways.  I think for some people it would be a good way to open the door in to viewing Native American information in a different format, other than reading books. 

What changed for me is that there is enormous information out there and a variety of formats to educate people on that information. 





Works Cited


American Indian Film Institute. (2019). American Indian Film Institute. Retrieved from American Indian Film Institute : https://www.aifisf.com/


Comments

  1. Janice VassellNovember 3, 2019 at 1:30 AM

    I saw the video of the natives saying they can relate to hip-hop culture and how it went hand-in-hand with their native culture.
    It was surprising to know that. I understand the struggle that both cultures experienced.
    Hip-hop musicians found ways through music to combat the emotions they feel. and Music was their way of dealing with being oppression for centuries . I understand why the natives could relate.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JM599November 3, 2019 at 4:44 PM

    This sounds like an interesting film festival. The film on hip hop is interesting. The Native Americans voice and language were censored throughout history, but now they can tell their story via hip hop. That's a creative way to get their story out. Any news on the award ceremonies?

    ReplyDelete
  3. RussNovember 14, 2019 at 9:53 AM

    After reviewing the website, I noticed that many of the trailers were no longer available. I happened to watch the trailer for the film Unceded Chiefs. It's interesting to know that natives living in Canada are experiencing the same thing that the U.S government did to natives who live here. They are doing everything they can to destroy their way of life.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Richard MitchellNovember 17, 2019 at 10:23 AM

    I found this web sight to be filled with very good examples of Native American filmmaking. I viewed many of the trailers and found the stories fascinating and insightful. This is a film festival that looks very intriguing and full of many good films and stories told from the Native American viewpoint.

    ReplyDelete

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