NMAI to present best in Indigenous film at Native Cinema Showcase

SANTA FE, N.M. – The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Aug. 15–18 for its Native Cinema Showcase. 

The museum’s 24th annual celebration of the best in Indigenous film includes 38 films this year. The showcase also provides a forum for engagement with Native filmmakers from Indigenous communities throughout the Western Hemisphere and Arctic. This year’s program begins with a panel discussion featuring Indigenous film luminaries Graham Greene (Oneida), Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis/Nakota), Gary Farmer (Cayuga) and Wes Studi (Cherokee), moderated by Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo). All screenings and events will take place at the New Mexico History Museum. Seating is first come, first served.

In addition to the screenings, the museum will host a special performance Saturday, Aug. 17. This event will include music video screenings and music by DJ Shub (Mohawk). Other special appearances include post-screening discussions with directors Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw), Leya Hale (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota/Diné), Mariah Hernandez-Fitch (Houma), Tasha Hubbard (Plains Cree) and producer Jason Ryle (Anishinaabe).

All events associated with National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Cinema Showcase are free and open to the public. All programs are subject to change. The full schedule is listed on the museum’s website. 

The 38 films (34 shorts, four features) represent 34 Native nations from eight countries: U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Finland. There are seven Indigenous languages spoken in the films. Genres include documentaries, music videos, kid-friendly shorts, films in Indigenous languages and more. This program is funded in part by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and received support from the Smithsonian initiative “Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past.”

Showcase Schedule

Thursday, Aug. 15 

7 p.m.: Native Cinema Trailblazers

A conversation with legendary veteran Native actors who paved the way for stronger representation in the entertainment industry: Graham Greene (Oneida), Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis/Nakota), Gary Farmer (Cayuga) and Wes Studi (Cherokee). Spanning over 40 years in the industry, they inspired an entire generation of Indigenous actors. They will discuss navigating their career in the industry, how it has evolved, challenges and triumphs that have gotten them to where they are now, and a favorite role that personified their true self. Moderated by Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo), showrunner for “Rutherford Falls,” screenwriter, producer and filmmaker.

Friday, Aug. 16 

1 p.m.: “I’m Just Here for the Riot” (Canada, 2023, 78 min.)

For mature audiences. Contains coarse language and scenes of rioting. A game seven Stanley Cup finals loss to the Boston Bruins sparked a massive riot in downtown Vancouver. Mayhem ensued with police cars burned and overturned, shattered windows, stores looted and waves of young people being caught in the chaos. 

Preceded by “Dau: añcut” (Moving Along Image) (USA, 2023, 16 min.) 

3 p.m.: “Uproar” (New Zealand, 2023, 110 min.)

A 17-year-old is forced to clamber off the fence he has actively sat on all his life to stand up for himself, his whānau (family) and his future. 

7 p.m.: “Goosebumps” Shorts Program (Program running time: 87 min.)

For mature audiences: contains horror, blood, coarse language, violence and bloodletting.

Short films that will give you chills, thrills and suspense.  

Saturday, Aug. 17  

11 a.m.: “Future Focused” shorts program (Program running time: 58 min.)

Family-friendly short films that are fun for kids of all ages. 

1 p.m.: “The Electric Indian” (U.S., 2024, 52 min.)

“The Electric Indian” follows Ojibwe hockey legend, Henry Boucha. A stand-out hockey star from Warroad, Minnesota, Boucha impressed on the ice from the 1969 Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament to the 1972 Olympics to the NHL, but an on-ice assault and injury ended his athletic career that unexpectedly led to a journey of healing and cultural reclamation.

3 p.m.: “Belonging” shorts program (Program running time: 82 min.)

Short films that find solace, strength and love in their community. 

7 p.m.: Special Performance: DJ Shub

An evening highlighting Indigenous music videos followed by a special performance with DJ Shub (Mohawk). 

Sunday, Aug. 18  

11 a.m.: “Rise Above” shorts program (Program running time: 87 min.)

For mature audiences. Some shorts contain course language and personal stories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. These shorts focus on the realities of rising above adversity and learning life’s lessons.    

 2 p.m.: “Singing Back the Buffalo” (Canada, 2024, 99 min.)

Indigenous visionaries, scientists and communities are rematriating the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined, signaling a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem and the collective survival.