International Institute for
Indigenous Resource Management

2004 DENVER INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL

From Whale Rider, courtesy of Newmarket Films.	From American Aloha, courtesy of Lisette Marie Flanary.	From Whale Rider, courtesy of Newmarket Films.

The Continuum of Culture: Reclaiming Tradition, Preserving Culture and Adapting for the Future
2004 Denver Indigenous Film Festival
Starz FilmCenter
900 Auraria Parkway, Denver, Colorado
November 19-21, 2004

The International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management is proud to present the first Indigenous Film Festival at the Starz FilmCenter on November 19-21, 2004 . Building on our successful showing of Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) in November 2003, the Institute is expanding the screening into an Annual Indigenous Film Festival. The theme for the 2004 Film Festival is The Continuum of Culture: Reclaiming Tradition, Preserving Culture and Adapting for the Future.

The Film Festival showcases the creative works of indigenous filmmakers, writers, directors and actors. We include films that document the wisdom and knowledge of elders as they pass along nearly forgotten traditions to future generations; films that extend the realm of traditional storytelling to audiences within and beyond the community, and films that look at how traditions are adapting and surviving in a modern context. The Film Festival will take you from the islands of Polynesia to the arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.

FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

Friday, November 19, 2004, 10:00 a.m.

• Salute to American Indian Heritage Month. Pre-opening student program in conjunction with the Denver Public Schools Office of Indian Education and the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs. Screening will include Christmas at Wapos Bay, Dark Thunder Productions, and The Rabbit's Tail and other selections from the American Indian Resource Center.

Friday, November 19, 2004, 7:00 p.m.

• Kunuk Family Reunion. A Colorado premiere.
• Finding My Talk, from the documentary series Finding our Talk: A Journey Into Aboriginal Languages. Paul M Rickard, independent Cree filmmaker and cameraman, appearing in person for post-screening Q&A. A Colorado premiere.
• Opening Night Party. Featuring the Northern and Southern Plains Indian Dancers and Singers. Tivoli Building, Room 440/540 at 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 20, 2004, 7:00 p.m.

• Whale Rider. Adapted from the novel of award-winning Maori author Witi Ihimaera, appearing in person for post-screening Q&A. .
  
• Reception honoring Sir Witi Ihimaera. Polynesian dance and music presented by Chief I'iga Vui Siaosi & Polynesian Fia Fia. Tivoli Building, Room 440/540 at 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 21, 2004, 5:00 p.m.

• American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i. A Colorado premiere.
• Qayaqs & Canoes: Native Ways of Knowing . Master boat builder Mike Livingston appearing in person for post-screening Q&A. A Colorado premiere.
  
• Join us for a Closing Night Party and Sponsor Recognition Ceremony. Plenty of food and music to close the festival with aloha spirit. Tivoli Building, Room 440/540 at 7:30 p.m.

TICKET PRICES

• Opening Night Films and Party: $20. Films only: $9.50.*
• Saturday Night Films and Reception: $20. Films only: $9:50.*
• Sunday Night Films and Party: $18. Films only: $9.50.*
• Patron Pass for all films & receptions: $50.

* $2.00 discount for students, seniors, groups of 10+, and Denver Film Society members.

Tickets on sale at the Starz FilmCenter box office and at Tickets West locations.

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

The Film Festival would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and partners. We extend our warm thanks to our corporate sponsors:

Premier Sponsor
COORS BREWING COMPANY

Presenting Sponsors
CH2M Hill
Marriott TownePlace Suites

Supporting Sponsors
Gay & Lesbian Fund of Colorado
Alaska Native Heritage Center

Contributing Sponsors
CADDO Office Supplies
Colorado Indian Education Association
International Uranium (USA) Corporation
Legal Design
Suncor Energy
Wright Water Engineering

We also extend our appreciation to our partners in Denver and beyond who have helped turn our vision of a Film Festival into reality:

alterNative Voices Native Radio
American Indian Resource Center, Tahlequah
Anna and John J. Sie Education Program
bluestocking films, inc.
Canada Colorado Association
Chief I'iga Vui Siaosi & Polynesian Fia Fia
Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs
Dark Thunder Productions
Denver Public Schools Office of Indian Education
Denver Anti-Discrimination Office
Discover Downunder
Douglas Society of the Denver Art Museum
Indian Voices Newsletter
KTVD-TV UPN20
Mayor's Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations
Mushkeg Media Inc .
NativeArt.net
New Zealand Embassy, Te Aka Aorere
Northern and Southern Plains Indian Dancers and Singers
Office of Strategic Partnerships, Denver
Starz FilmCenter
University of Colorado at Denver Ethnic Studies Program

BECOME A FRIEND OF THE INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL

There are many ways you can support the Indigenous Film Festival. Corporate sponsorships are available at the following levels: $5,000 (Platinum), $3000 (Gold), $1,000 (Silver), and $500 (Bronze) with appropriate recognition packages. Partnerships with other community groups and businesses are welcome. Click here to contact us for more information about sponsorhips.

Individuals can support the Film Festival through tax-exempt donations and by joining us at our daily screenings and festivities. The International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. Donations can be sent to the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management at the address below or click here and follow the Make A Donation Online link on the Blacktie Colorado website.

International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management
444 South Emerson Street
Denver, CO 80209-2216
U.S.A.
303-744-9686 (for ticket information)

SYNOPSIS OF FILMS

• American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i (bluestocking films, Inc.) explores the renaissance of Hawaiian culture through music, language and dance as it continues to grow in California . Following three kumu hula , or master hula teachers, the film celebrates the perpetuation of a culture, from the very traditional to the contemporary, as it evolves on distant shores. With more Native Hawaiians living on the US mainland than on the islands, the hula is a living tradition that connects generations far from home to their heritage. Revealing the challenges of cultural survival through the struggles of Hawaii 's past, American Aloha is a proud reminder of the power of reclaiming tradition for communities creating a home away from home. A Colorado premiere.
• Christmas at Wapos Bay (Dark Thunder Productions) begins a few days before Christmas as three Native children visit their Moshum (grandfather) at his trap-line cabin. There they experience the traditional ways of fishing, hunting and trapping. On the trap line Moshum becomes concerned about the lack of animals in the area. The family Christmas gathering may have to be cancelled if there is not enough food to feed everyone who will be arriving. Cree filmmaker Dennis Jackson's first long-form, stop-motion animation explores the spirit of a native way of life in Northern Saskatchewan. A Colorado premiere.
• Finding My Talk from the acclaimed documentary series Finding our Talk: A Journey Into Aboriginal Languages (Mushkeg Media Inc.). Many Aboriginal languages have disappeared or are disappearing. Others are threatened. According to Statistics Canada, only 3 of 50 of the most prominent languages are expected to survive through the next century. The loss of language threatens the roots of family life and social sturcture in most aboriginal communities. Fortunately there are unique individuals and organizations across Canada who are using innovative strategies to maintain the basic functions of their languages, and to preserve their creative and cognitive spirit itself. Paul m. Rickard, independent Cree filmmaker and cameraman, will appear in person for post-screening Q&A. A Colorado premiere.
• Kunuk Family Reunion (Isuma Productions, 2004) a one-hour documentary by Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn, filmmakers of the 2001 Cannes Festival award-winner, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner . Zacharias Kunuk was born in 1957 in a sod house on the arctic tundra. Zach's parents, Enuki and Vivi, now in their seventies, still live on the land most of the year, following the same nomadic lifestyle of hunting and fishing that four millennia of their ancestors followed before them. Kunuk Family Reunion follows Zach and his family as they gather in June 2003, after the whirlwind success of Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner , at their traditional home site 70 kms into the arctic wilderness from the tiny town of Igloolik . Here, at the birthplace of his father, and the graves of his grandparents, Zach and his brothers and sisters honor their family history with seal hunting and storytelling. As the older people tell their stories we see the land and its people bound together, in life and in death. A Colorado premiere.
• Qayaqs & Canoes: Native Ways of Knowing (Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage) documents native master craftsmen of Alaska build eight traditional kayaks and canoes using all-but-forgotten techniques. The film presents an intimate portrait that links legend, history and personal experiences of the master boat builders in the process of passing on their traditional knowledge.
• The Rabbit's Tail (American Indian Resource Center). A claymation rendition of a traditional tribal story about how Rabbit lost his tail, made by Muscogee Creek students at the Morris High School in Morris, Oklahoma. In Muscogee Creek with English subtitles. A Colorado premiere.
• Whale Rider (Newmarket Films) presents the story of a Maori girl who challenges her grandfather and over a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny as leader of her tribe – a role traditionally reserved for men. The film, which features an all-Maori cast, was adapted from the novel of award-winning Maori author Witi Ihimaera, appearing in person for post-screening Q&A.