UND to celebrate American Indian Heritage Month in November with eighth annual film festival

David L. Dodds

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

10-21-2013

Campus Unit

College of Arts & Sciences

Abstract

UND to celebrate American Indian Heritage Month in November with eighth annual film festival

The University of North Dakota American Indian Studies Department and the Indian Studies Association will celebrate American Indian Heritage Month through film at its 8th Annual American Indian Film Festival Nov. 4-20.

The purpose of the festival is to help the campus community and the public at large better appreciate both the historic and continuing contributions of American Indians to our dynamic and diverse society.

All movies will show at 7 p.m. in the UND Memorial Union Lecture Bowl. Admission is free.

The movies and descriptions follow:

  • Monday, Nov. 4, Bury My Heart with Tonawanda -- A feature film solidly grounded in Seneca culture and history, "Bury My Heart at Tonawanda" tells the story of boy with Downs Syndrome who is rejected by his own family but accepted by the Tonawanda Seneca Nation. The film gives insight into the Seneca world while challenging our historical stereotypes about Native Americans
  • Thursday, Nov. 7, First Speakers: Restoring the Ojibwe Language -- A language is lost every 14 days. One of those endangered tongues is Minnesota's own Ojibwe language. This documentary examines how a new generation of Ojibwe scholars and educators are racing against time to save the language.
  • Tuesday, Nov. 12, America Reframed: The Medicine Game and Up Heartbreak Hill (double feature of documentaries focusing on youth sports in Native America) -- The Medicine Game shares the remarkable journey of two brothers from the Onondaga Nation driven by a single goal: to beat the odds and play lacrosse for national powerhouse Syracuse University. Up Heartbreak Hill is a documentary chronicling the lives of Thomas, Tamara and Gabby - three teenagers on the Navajo Nation - as they traverse their senior year and struggle to define themselves as both Native American and modern American.
  • Thursday, Nov. 14, Tiger Eyes -- In this feature film based on a popular Judy Blume novel, a 17 year-old girl journeys from heartbreak and confusion to transformation as she discovers love and life after tragedy. Noted for its cinematography of the American Southwest.
  • Monday, Nov. 18, Standing Bear's Footsteps -- This is the story of a Ponca Indian leader who went to court to prove he was a person worthy of the full legal protections of U.S. laws and their courts. This documentary chronicles the human story behind the landmark Standing Bear V. Crook case.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 20, Path of Souls -- Filmed in neighboring Manitoba, this feature film tells the story of a grieving widow embarking on a spiritual journey across Native North America to complete her dead husband's thesis. Along the way, she encounters traditional elders who tell her about quantum mechanics, dark matter, wormholes and parallel universes.

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