INDIGENOUS NARRATIVE FEATURES

Monkey Beach directed by Loretta Todd (Métis-Cree)
Lisa (Grace Dove (Shuswap) of The Revenant), a rebellious young woman, must accept her true heroic nature in order to save Jimmy, her brother who is lost at sea. MONKEY BEACH is set in the magnificent forests and waterways of the Pacific Northwest and the Haisla village of Kitamaat. Haisla cultural stories are woven into the contemporary lives of Lisa and her family, along with a cast of otherworldly characters including ghosts and Sasquatches - the 'monkeys' of Monkey Beach. The film is based on the novel Monkey Beach, written by former IAIA MFA Mentor Eden Robinson (Haisla).

Tickets:  https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/monkey-beach/

Rustic Oracle directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau (Mohawk)
Ivy tries to understand what happened to her big sister, Heather, who has vanished from their small Mohawk community. Ivy and her mother Susan embark on an unwelcome journey to find Heather which ultimately brings the pair closer together despite challenging circumstances.
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020

Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/rustic-oracle/

Juliana and the Medicine Fish directed by Jeremy Torrie (Ojibway)
While spending the summer trying to process her mother's death, Juliana, with the help of her friend, uncovers an ancient secret that helps her reconcile with her father and at the same time, while their home and livelihoods are at stake, exemplifies the power of a father-daughter bond.
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/juliana-the-medicine-fish/


INDIGENOUS DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

My Dear Mother directed by Paul-Anders Simma (Sami)
Tasha is an eleven-year-old Lapp girl. She is an inmate of a Russian orphanage, even though she is not an orphan. Tasha believes that her mother is dead by a drug overdose, when one day, her biological mother suddenly calls her. Her mother claims that she is now drug free, but Tasha has mixed feelings for this newfound "mother." Tasha reaches a difficult crossroads and has to make a decision that will have an enormous impact on the rest of her life.
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/my-dear-mother/

My Blood Is Red directed by Various
A young Indigenous rapper named Werá uses his lyrics to address violence against his people. On his journey, Werá is adopted by Criolo, one of Brazil's most famous music artists and godfather of Brazilian hip-hop. Driven by beats and lyrics, the film follows Werá to the largest assembly of Indigenous people in Brazil, a demonstration where protestors were repelled with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/my-blood-is-red/

 
We Are Unarmed directed by Gwendolen Cates
Chronicling the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline, both a warning and an inspiration as the United States moves into uncharted territory.
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/my-blood-is-red/


SFiFF Indigenous Short Film Program

Blackwater directed by Boise Esquerra (Hopi)
After years of reckless alcoholism, a country music star finally hits rock bottom and is court-ordered into wellness therapy with an offbeat group of misfits on her hometown reservation.


Border Nation directed by Jason Jaacks (Aotomi)
Ofelia Rivas lives just north of the US-Mexico border, which divides the ancestral territory of the Tohono O'odham. With an increasingly militarized border, can Ofelia's traditional way of life survive?


Future Ancestor directed by Josue Rivas (Mexica/Otomi)
Indigenous scholar and poet Lyla June (Navajo/Cheyenne) challenges the status quo in New Mexico.


Invasion: The Unist'ot'en's Fight for Sovereignty directed by Michael Toledano and Sam Vinal
In this era of "reconciliation with Indigenous Nations," native land is still being taken at gunpoint. INVASION joins the frontlines of the Unist'ot'en Camp, the larger Wet'suwet'en Nation, standing up to the Canadian government and corporations who continue committing violence against Indigenous people.


Now Is The Time directed by Christopher Auchter (Haida)
On the 50th anniversary of the first new totem pole raising on British Columbia's Haida Gwaii in almost a century, Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter steps through history to revisit the day that would signal the rebirth of the Haida spirit.


Nuxalk Radio directed by Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk)
A day in the life of 91.1, Nuxalk Radio, a radio station built to help keep the Nuxalkmc language alive, broadcasting the laws of the lands and waters.


Tarcila: Indigenous Solutions to Climate Change from Peru directed by Sarah Kuck
Activist Tarcila Rivera Zea, a Quechua elder fighting for Indigenous rights in Peru, finds her lifelong efforts to empower her people growing increasingly crucial as climate change raises the stakes.

Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/shorts-program-6-indigenous/


NEW MEXICO FEATURES - Indigenous Films

Seekers directed by Aurore Vullierme
The Reval brothers, Audie and Leon, are Jicarilla Apaches. One is a hunter, the other a politician. They were forcibly raised in boarding schools off their ancestral land. When Leon loses tribal elections, the question of their tribal affiliation legitimacy resurfaces, stronger than ever. The uncertainty of their future echoes that of the Jicarilla tribe, fighting to restore the unity of its scattered memory.
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/seekers/

FUKRY directed by Blackhorse Lowe (Navajo)
From SFiFF alumnus Blackhorse Lowe comes a doom rom-com set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The film follows a group of Native American men and women as they go through the ups and downs of love.
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/fukry/




NEW MEXICO SHORTS - Indigenous Films


New Mexico Narrative Short Program
4 Years to Infinite directed by Jordana Bass (Winnebago)
Part of a Balanced Breakfast directed by Jordan Rae Herron
They Return directed by Lonnie R Begaye (Navajo)
Where: Virtual Cinema
When: October 14th-18th, 2020
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/shorts-program-8-new-mexico-narrative-shorts/


New Mexico Documentary Short Program
Lloyd "Kiva" New: An American Entrepreneur directed by IAIA Student Nathaniel Fuentes (Santa Clara Pueblo)
Tickets: https://boxoffice.santafeindependent.com/events/shorts-program-9-new-mexico-documentary-shorts/

SFiFF Presents the 2020 Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Student Short Program
Sister directed by Jedadiah Richards (Oglala Lakota Sioux)
Tomena directed by Gary Medina Cook (Genizaro)
Sage Me Not directed by Erik Sanchez (Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe)
The Show directed by Leroy Grafe
Broduce directed by Carrie Dada (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma)

Festival Passes and Individual Tickets for SFiFF's Drive-In films and the Virtual Film Fest are on sale now.