INDIgenesis, an ongoing showcase of works by Native filmmakers and artists, was scheduled to open for two weeks in the Walker Cinema on March 19, 2020. In collaboration with the filmmakers, we’ve adapted three of the shorts programs for online viewing.
“As Indigenous people, we have always adapted during times of uncertainty and change as did our ancestors before us,” says guest curator Missy Whiteman (Northern Arapaho and Kickapoo Nations). “In the spirit of those who came before and honoring Indigenous filmmakers, we invite you to the virtual screenings of INDIgenesis film series.”
New short films by Native directors were selected to play during public gallery hours in the Walker’s video-on-demand Mediatheque throughout the run of the INDIgenesis film series (March 19-31). Streaming here, the program features a first-person short about two-spirit pride, a doc exploring alignment between Shinnecock creation stories and the scientific story of the Big Bang, a narrative short about a school teacher on a reservation, and a timely futuristic fiction about a Navaho woman in the aftermath of a global virus.
Click on the images below to view the films. Two more shorts programs are available (see right sidebar for links).
Ya’at’eeh Abini (Good Morning)
Directed by Morningstar Angeline (Navajo/Blackfoot/Mexican)
Password expired 4/26/20.
Crystal is haunted by her father’s death from a global virus that has ravaged her native Navajo Nation in Ya’at’eeh Abini (Good Morning). Under constant surveillance from an unknown military, she must learn to embrace her visions, memories, and dreams to both survive and rediscover what may be left of the world. 2019, 12 min.
Out of Nothing
Directed by Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)
According to their creation myth, the Shinnecock are “the human children of the goddess who descended from the sky.” Only a few miles away from the Shinnecock Nation in Long Island, New York, scientists from around the world conduct experiments to explore the beginnings of the universe. Drawing parallels between the Big Bang and the creation story, Alexandra Lazarowich’s Out of Nothing explores our endless fascination with where we come from. 2018, 15 min.
I Am Me
Directed by Jazmine Smith (Cree)
Jazmine grew up in Saskatchewan as a boy who felt out of place—until discovering makeup, which helped her transition and begin her journey into womanhood. I Am Me is a candid story of acceptance, self-love, and jewelry. 2018, 4 min.
Little Chief
Directed by Erica Tremblay (Seneca-Cayuga/Wyandotte Nations)
Available online until 4/15/20.
In Erica Tremblay’s Little Chief, the lives of a Native woman and a nine-year-old boy intersect over the course of a school day on a reservation in Oklahoma. 2020, 12 min.
To ensure that filmmakers maintain control of their works, links are provided to filmmaker hosted sites. Online access to films is available for the duration that these links are publicly shared by the filmmakers. Password protected films will be available for viewing until April 15, 2020. Please share your reflections, comments, and questions for the curator and filmmakers by emailing movingimage@walkerart.org.
Originally intended to screen in the Walker Cinema over two weeks, the series INDIgenesis: GEN 3 is rooted in Indigenous principles that consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. GEN 3 is centered on themes of Indigenous Futurism, revitalization, and artistic creation and connects perspectives and stories from the past, present, and future to convey Indigenous truths, teachings, and values.
Read more about the originally scheduled INDIgenesis: GEN 3 series, canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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