Washington, D.C.
Rasmuson Theater (a portion of this program is also playing continuously in the Third Floor Gallery Hall)
In celebration of Black History Month, the NMAI features a collection of short films by Native filmmakers from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Their personal stories illustrate universal struggles that both Native and African American youth face today.
Monotony (2005, 3 min.) U.S. Director: Ginew Benton (Ojibwe)
A young Native man escapes—if only for a moment—from his monotonous job.
Rez Life (2005, 3 min) U.S.Directors: David Aleck, Nick Clark, and Martin Edwards. Producer: Tracy Rector (Seminole). Produced by: Longhouse Media.
A thought-provoking film about the choices a boy faces on his path to manhood on the reservation.
Coureurs de Nuit/Night Hunters (2005, 3 min) Canada. Director: Chanouk Néwashish (Atikamek). Produced by Wapikoni Mobile. In English and Atikamekw with English subtitles.
A poetic evocation of the teenage experience in the rural community of Wemotaci, Quebec.
Patrick Ross (2006, 6 min) Canada. Director: Ervin Chartrand (Métis). Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, First Stories: Manitoba.
In this lyrically filmed portrait, the artist talks about time in jail and how his involvement with art ha changed his life.
Newen/Life-Force (2004, 4 min.) CHILE. Director: Jennifer Aguilera Silva (Mapuche). In Spanish and Mapudungun.
The hip-hop artist JAAS calls on the ancestors to awaken the warrior spirit within the Mapuche people of today.
Gesture Down (I Don't Sing) (2006, 10 min) U.S./Mexico. Director/Producer: Cedar Sherbert (Kumeyaay).
The filmmaker shares a poetic and personal reflection of his journey south from California to Mexico in search of the "last" traditional Kumeyaay singer. The work was inspired by James Welch's poem "Gesture Down to Guatemala."
Presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
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