FILM
FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 10-12, 2006,
BIJOU ART CINEMAS
This special
film festival is presented by the Eugene Weekly in conjunction with
the University of Oregon Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics,
which is sponsoring a two-year examination of Native American art,
images and issues.
DOUBLE
FEATURE
Nanook of the North (1922) NR
Explorer Robert J. Flaherty spent 16 months inside the Arctic
Circle documenting the daily routines of an Inuit Eskimo family,
which gave him permission to film. As the film’s producer,
director, writer, editor and cinematographer, Flaherty parlayed
rejection by American film distributors into the film’s
successful openings in Paris and Berlin. In its New York debut,
the film grossed more than $40,000 the first week. Flaherty’s
ethnographic film set the standard for future nonfiction narrative
films. He’s called the father of motion picture documentaries.
In
the Land of the War Canoes (1914) NR
Photographer Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) documented the culture
of Native Americans. This 47-minute silent film is a dramatic
performance by the Kwakiutl people of Vancouver Island, written
and directed by Curtis. It features beautiful costumes, totem
carvings, dancing and astonishing scenes shot from shore of
approaching canoes. Major restoration of the only surviving
print in 1972 also boasts a sound score of music and chants
recorded by the Kwakiutl themselves. In 1999, this film was
selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film
Registration program.
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The
Business of Fancydancing (2002) NR
Award-winning film by acclaimed Native American writer, director
Sherman Alexie (Coeur d’Alene/Spokane) stars Evan Adams, Michelle
St. John, Gene Tagaban and Swil Kanim. Alexie’s known locally
for charming his audience while speaking his mind about life on
the rez, living in white society and fitting in or not as an Indian
artist. The movie follows the Seattle life of a gay Indian poet,
who returns home for a funeral and to a difficult reunion with his
childhood pals.
Christmas
in the Clouds (2001) PG
This contemporary, romantic comedy directed by Kate Montgomery was
filmed on location at the Sundance Resort in Utah and features an
American Indian cast, including Tim Vahle, Mariana Tosca, Sam Vlahos,
Graham Greene and Sheila Tousey. Set during the holiday season at
a ski resort owned and oper-ated by a Native American Nation, the
film is a heart-warming, comic blast of Native American humor.
Atanarjuat:
The Fast Runner (2001) R
Based on a thousand-year old story kept alive by generations of
Inuit storytellers, the film engages con-temporary viewers with
its mesmerizing passions, ancient beliefs and customs, and the authentic
details of life long ago in the frozen reaches above the Arctic
Circle. When a mysterious, evil shaman enters a traditional Inuit
community, the people must deal with rivalry, discord and murder.
Created by Inuit film-makers Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn and the
late Paul Apak Angilirq, the film features an Inuit cast and crew.
Starting
Fire with Gunpowder (1991) NR
"Television, like gunpowder, can be used either destructively
or constructively" is the analogy used as the starting point
for this documentary about the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, founded
in the early 1980s to counteract negative programming and protect
Inuit culture. The political and economic difficul-ties faced by
those involved in native communications are addressed.
Kanehsatake:
270 Years of Resistance (1994) NR
This award-winning documentary by Native American filmmaker Alanis
Obomsawin details the 1990
Skins
(2002) R
An early film by award-winning director and producer Chris Eyre
stars Graham Greene as a Vietnam veteran who abuses alcohol. This
is a powerful story about a family living on a barren South Dakota
reservation.
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