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Home » Virtual Global Indigenous Film Showcase

Virtual Global Indigenous Film Showcase

Published November 7, 2020

Land Acknowledgment

We acknowledge that the William Johnston Building at Florida State University is located on land that is the ancestral and traditional territory of the Apalachee Nation, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. We pay respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to their descendants, to the generations yet unborn, and to all Indigenous people.

We recognize that this land remains scarred by the histories and ongoing legacies of settler colonial violence, dispossession, and removal. In spite of all of this, and with tremendous resilience, these Indigenous nations have remained deeply connected to this territory, to their families, to their communities, and to their cultural ways of life. We recognize the ongoing relationships of care that these Indigenous Nations maintain with this land and extend our gratitude as we live and work as humble and respectful guests upon their territory. We encourage you to learn about and amplify the contemporary work of the Indigenous nations whose land you are on and to endeavor to support Indigenous sovereignty in all the ways that you can.

Due to the virtual nature of the film showcase, viewers may be tuning in from across the state of Florida and the across the United States. We ask viewers everywhere to question themselves about whose ancestral land and territories they reside on. We ask viewers to pay respect to the Elders past and present for whose land they live on and extend that respect to their descendants and to generations to come.

Registration and Schedule

The films will go live on Monday, November 16th and will remain available until the 23rd.

Register here to gain access to the films.

The department is also hosting a live Q&A with Miss Navajo director Billy Luther on Thursday, November 19th at 6:00 PM-6:30 PM.

Register here for the Q&A.

About the Festival   

     This film festival supports and celebrates Indigenous filmmakers from around the world that showcase the resurgence and resilience of their cultural practices in the face of legacies of settler colonialism. The films presented in this series emphasize Indigenous narratives that navigate through centuries of colonial erasure of cultural practices, and efforts to force assimilation into dominant settler colonial society. Some may question their identity due to centuries of genocide and violent assimilation, but the act of picking up a camera and taking back the screen is an assertion of Indigenous sovereignty in the 21st century.

     While viewing these films, we would like our audience to keep these questions in mind: what does resilience look like to these filmmakers? How do Indigenous populations celebrate and sustain engagement with their respective customary practices while negotiating with and navigating through systemic suppression of Indigeneity in the 21st century?

     The films showcased in this festival include: the short films, Now is the Time (Haida, 2019), This is Who I Am (Anishinaabe, 2017), Four Faces of the Moon (Métis, Cree and Anishnaabe, 2016),  Mareikura (Maori, 2019), Thirza Cuthand Is An Indian Within The Meaning Of The Indian Act (Plains Cree, 2017), and the feature length film Miss Navajo (Diné, 2007). The films selected provoke dialogue about the struggles of balancing Indigenous cultural practices and identity within the broader colonial settler society of the 21st century. We aim to incorporate and uplift a multitude of perspectives and voices by including filmmakers of different Indigenous backgrounds and experiences, involving the intersections of Indigeneity and the Two-Spirit/LGBTQIA+ community, Indigeneity and one’s role in the family, and Indigeneity with historical trauma.

     Click here to access a PDF catalogue of the showcase, including film stills and descriptions, director biographies, and organizer acknowledgments.

Additional Resources

We understand that some of the material may have been upsetting or viewers may be inspired to seek more information about these communities and how to help. We’ve linked to resources below. While not an exhaustive list, it is a good place to start.

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