Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Ricketson Theater

The 16th Annual Indigenous Film & Arts Festival will be in full swing from October 10-14, 2019. Please join them as they celebrate their 16th anniversary with film, art and lively discussion around their theme of More Than a Single Story. The generous support of their Sponsors and Community Partners has made it possible for them to offer all of their events at no charge. THURSDAY, 10 October, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear Q&A…

The Book of the Sea (Kniga Morya). Director Aleksei Vakhurshev (Siberian Yupik) presents the story of contemporary Inuit and Chukchi hunters as they navigate the frigid waters off of Russia's Bering Strait in search of the whales, walruses and seals that have sustained their people since the beginning of time. The live action blends seamlessly with claymation sequences that portray traditional stories, revealing the cultural and spiritual underpinnings that guide the current generation of hunters pursuing their ancestral traditions. In…

The International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management, Denver American Indian Commission and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science are pleased to present another year of programming from the Indigenous Film & Arts Festival.  Join us the 2nd Wednesday of the month for a film screening and discussion. The event is free (suggested donation $5). Please join us on Wednesday, January 8 for A Showcase of Animated Films in the Museum's Phipps Theater, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver 80205. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the program begins at…

In My Blood It Runs, director Maya Newell. Ten-year-old Dujuan is a child-healer, a good hunter and speaks three languages. As he shares his knowledge of history and the complex world around him, we see his spark and intelligence. Yet Dujuan is “failing” in school and facing increasing scrutiny from welfare and the police. As he travels perilously close to incarceration, his family fights to give him a strong Arrernte education alongside his western education, lest he become another statistic.…

In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman.  Director Camille Manybeads Tso (Diné).  Thirteen year old Diné filmmaker Camille Manybeads Tso learns the story of her great-great-great grandmother Yellow Woman, as told to her by her grandmother.  Camille imagines what it would have been like to live through the Long Walk, and from the words of her grandmother, filtered through the lens of her camera, we take that journey with her.  (Halne’e Productions, 2009, 27 min.). A Snapshot in Time, Director Dustinn…

In 2016, the world turned its eyes to the people of Standing Rock as they formed a coalition of unprecedented magnitude to defend their land and water from the threat of the Dakota Access Pipeline. An inflection point for human rights and environmental justice, the #NoDAPL struggle became a rallying cry for Indigenous people everywhere to take a stand against the myriad injustices committed against them for centuries. OYATE elevates the voices of Indigenous activists, organizers, and politicians as they…

Hebron Relocation. Filmmaker Holly Andersen of Makkovik, Nunatsiavut, always knew that the house she lives in carries within its frame the echoes of the forced displacement of northern Labrador Inuit. Andersen explores what makes a place a home as she speaks with friends and family about how the relocation impacted generations of Labrador Inuit. Weaving together intimate stories from her community with rare footage that gives us a glimpse of community life during this upheaval, Andersen looks at a difficult…

Epgomanegati - Blueberry Land, director Brian J. Francis (Mi’kmaq). The Mi’kmaq people have participated in the annual blueberry harvest in Maine for decades. Entire families would pack up and leave their reservations for five weeks each year to participate in the harvest. For many, it is a time to socialize with people from other First Nations communities. For most, it was a way to subsidize the coming year. It has become a new tradition the people have grown to love.…

Seed Mother: Coming Home, directors Mateo Hinojosa, Rowen White. In this poetic embodiment of the Indigenous Seed Rematriation movement, seeds show their full beauty for us to fall in love with, and so protect them. (The Cultural Conservancy and Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, 2021, 8 min.) With Seed Keeper Rowen White appearing in person for audience discussion/Q&A. Puamun, director Josée Benjamin (Innu). Wapikoni Mobile’s arrival in the community of Ekuanitshit, inspired the director to document the journey of her…

Veins of the Amazon, Directors Terje Toomitu, Alvaro Sarmiento, & Diego Sarmiento. In the Peruvian Amazon, the main means of transport for goods and people since the time of the rubber boom and the infamous adventures of Fitzcarraldo are the ferries navigating the majestic Amazon River. Today the ferries bear products from the global market place in exchange for “exotic” goods from the jungle. Yet the ferries also form a distinct space of transition for the travelers taking a journey…

Red Fever (directors Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge). This engaging documentary follows Cree co-director Neil Diamond as he asks, “Why do they love us so much?” and sets out on a journey to find out why the world is so fascinated with the stereotypical imagery of Native people that permeates pop culture. In their acclaimed film Reel Injun, Diamond and Bainbridge looked at Hollywood stereotypes. In Red Fever they delve deeper. According to Diamond, “Red Fever began as an exploration…

An Evening with LOUIE GONG. Join us for the short documentary EAGLE VISION: TAKING NATIVE BUSINESS TO NEW HEIGHTS, the story of how Louie Gong (Nooksack) launched Eighth Generation, a Native-owned business that rejected the notion of "Native Inspired" and created a company to showcase and support "Inspired Natives." Louie will be with us in person to talk about the next chapter of his story - selling Eighth Generation to the Snoqualmie Tribe. (2019, 13 min.). Preceded by TENTSITESAHKWE, director…

The Indigenous Film & Arts Festival is pleased to present the 21st annual Indigenous Film & Arts Festival around our theme: Knowledge and Power. This year all our programs are live, in-theater events. Please join us on Tuesday, October 22nd for short films about Tradition and Place, with filmmakers Clément Lagouarde and Keli Mashburn joining us for the discussion/Q&A. February Sixteenth Nineteen Forty-Seven, director Jessica ᒦᖒᐊᖅᑏ Miinguuaqtii (Inuk). Inuk Elder Levinia Brown shares the oral history of how she was…