The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is proud to support California’s American Indian & Indigenous Film Festival (CAIIFF), taking place November 2 – 4, 2017 in Temecula, California. The California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) presents its 5th annual film festival celebrating American Indian arts and culture through the medium of film. CICSC provides Southern California movie goers with opportunities to experience American Indian life and culture through uplifting and empowering film narratives that explore what it means to be Indian in the 21st century. They feature films that highlight American Indian storytelling traditions and weave connections through community, identity, history, the past, present, and future. Providing access to these films is another key goal for CAIIFF, so they partner with the Pechanga Resort and Casino as the festival’s venue in order to maximize accessibility for local communities. The 2016 festival, also sponsored by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, was a huge success, and festival staff anticipate that this year’s festival will reach an even wider audience.
This year’s lineup includes dozens of films, shorts, and documentaries by American Indian & Indigenous filmmakers, producers, directors, and actors that address the most pressing issues in Native America today. With support from sponsors like NACF, CAIIFF is able to bring in filmmakers and artists, offering several Q&A sessions with the actors. They have also been able to make tickets available for free to high school and college students this year. Below is their main event schedule, to learn more about these events, visit their website at https://www.caiiff.com/
Thursday Session (Opening Night Feature): November 2, 7:30pm
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World directed by Catherine Bainbridge
Performance by Taboo (of the Black Eyed Peas) and Mag7 (Supaman, Zack “Doc” Battiest, Spencer Battiest, Emcee One, Drezus, PJ Vegas, Natalia ‘My Verse’) after the screening.
Friday Session: November 3, 7:30pm
Friday Night Funnies: A Tribute to Charlie Hill featuring The 1491s
Afternoon Shorts Program: November 4, 12:00pm
#stillhere, Baby, Believer, C&J Forever, Feed the Wolf, Kéwku, Kia Tau (Be at Rest), Missing Indigenous, My Once Life, Nan isht Akokpachi (The Gift), The American Indian Veteran, Three Thousand, Uktena and Thunder (ᎠᏴᏓᏆᎶᏍᎩ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎧᏖᎾ), Unintentional Mother
Saturday Youth Track: November 4, 12:30pm
Workshop with Artist/Filmmaker Steven Paul Judd
Youth Shorts Program: Acorn, Army Manimation, Bzindan (Harmony), Censored Heritage, Dream the Impossible, Nan isht Akokpachi (The Gift), Shaman, Steven Paul Judd, Sun and the Great, The Importance of Dreaming, The Mountain of SGaana, The Theft of Fire, The Wounded Healer, Tribal Pride, Ukaliqu and Kalla Go Fishing, Ya-Ka (Our Water)
Environmental Program: November 4, 2:00pm:
Featured Shorts: Defend the Sacred directed by Kyle Bell (Thlopthlocco/Creek), Unearthed directed by Zulfiya Hamzaki & Erin Semine Kökdil
Featured Film: United by Water directed by Derrick LaMere
Matinee Documentary Film: November 4, 3:30pm:
Mankiller directed by Valerie Red-Horse Mohl
Saturday (Closing Night Feature): November 4, 7:30pm
Hostiles directed by Scott Cooper
“We are thrilled to be holding this special screening of “Hostiles” on tribal lands with invited American Indian political and cultural dignitaries from throughout Indian Country,” said Dr. Joely Proudfit, CAIIFF Director. Accompanying the film at the screening will be Director Scott Cooper, and stars Wes Studi and Q’orianka Kilcher.
NACF supports CAIIFF in our ongoing efforts to bring valuable perspectives to contemporary life as well as provoke critical thinking and spark meaningful discussions. Through the medium of film, directors, filmmakers, producers, writers, and actors have the opportunity to share their stories with a diverse audience. CAIIFF’s commitment to bring these films to a wider audience helps provide a sense of community to those who see themselves represented on the big screen. We hope that this festival not only brings people together, but can serve as a learning experience to all who come to enjoy the events. On behalf of NACF, Director of Programs Francene Blythe will be attending.