INDIgenesis, an ongoing showcase of works by Native filmmakers and artists, was scheduled to open for two weeks in the Walker Cinema on March 19, 2020. In collaboration with the filmmakers, we’ve adapted three of the shorts programs for online viewing.

“As Indigenous people, we have always adapted during times of uncertainty and change as did our ancestors before us,” says guest curator Missy Whiteman (Northern Arapaho and Kickapoo Nations). “In the spirit of those who came before and honoring Indigenous filmmakers, we invite you to the virtual screenings of INDIgenesis film series.”

Indigenous Lens: Our Reality is a collection of short films showcasing contemporary stories about what it means to be Indigenous today, portraying identity and adaptability in a colonialist system. The program spans a spectrum of themes, including two-spirit transgender love, coming of age, reflections on friends and fathers, “indigenizing” pop art, and creative investigations into acts of repatriation. Click on the images below to view the films. Two more shorts program are available (see right sidebar for links).

Filmmaker Q&A

On March 27, guest curator Missy Whiteman and Adam Piron (Kiowa/Mohawk), Sundance Film Festival Shorts Programmer and Indigenous Program Consultant, led a discussion with filmmakers Sky Hopinka, Erin Lau, and Shane McSauby that explored both today’s realities and what it means to make films through an Indigenous lens. The artists shared stories about their work, their inspirations, and how they’ve developed their approaches to filmmaking with a focus on the Indigenous value of adaptability.

Lore

Directed by Sky Hopinka

(Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians)

In Sky Hopinka’s Lore, images of friends and landscapes are fragmented and reassembled as a voice tells stories, composing elements of nostalgia in terms of lore. 2019, 10 min.



Culture Capture: Terminal Adddition

Directed by New Red Order: Adam Khalil (Ojibway), Zack Khalil (Ojibway),

Jackson Polys (Tlingit), Bayley Sweitzer

Culture Capture: Terminal Adddition, the latest video by the public secret society known as the New Red Order, is an incendiary indictment of the norms of European settler colonialism that questions the contemporary act of disposing of historical artifacts as quick fixes, proposing the political potential of adding rather than removing. 2019, 7 min.



Mino Bimaadiziwin

Directed by Shane McSauby

(Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians)



In Shane McSauby’s Mino Bimaadiziwin a trans Anishinaabe man meets a young Anishinaabe woman who pushes him to reconnect with their culture. 2017, 10 min.



The Moon and the Night

Directed by Erin Lau (Kanaka Maoli)



In Erin Lau’s Moon and the Night, a Native teenage girl in rural Hawaii must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dogfight. 2018, 19 min.



Viva Diva

Directed by Daniel Flores

(Yaqui)



Viva Diva, Daniel Flores’s road trip movie, follows Rozene and Diva as they make their way down to Guadalajara for their gender affirmation surgeries. 2017, 15 min.



Dig It If You Can

Directed by Kyle Bell

(Creek-Thlopthlocco Tribal Town)

Kyle Bell’s Dig It If You Can is an insightful portrait of the self-taught artist and designer Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa), whose satirical manipulations of pop culture for an Indigenous audience are gaining a passionate, mass following as he realizes his youthful dreams. 2016, 18 min.

To ensure that filmmakers maintain control of their works, links are provided to filmmaker hosted sites. Online access to films is available for the duration that these links are publicly shared by the filmmakers. Password protected films will be available for viewing until April 15, 2020.

Please share your reflections, comments, and questions for the curator and filmmakers by emailing movingimage@walkerart.org.

Originally intended to screen in the Walker Cinema over two weeks, the series INDIgenesis: GEN 3 is rooted in Indigenous principles that consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. GEN 3 is centered on themes of Indigenous Futurism, revitalization, and artistic creation and connects perspectives and stories from the past, present, and future to convey Indigenous truths, teachings, and values.

Read more about the originally scheduled INDIgenesis: GEN 3 series, canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.