Welcome to the official FNFVF Inc. Website

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Welcome to the Official Website of First Nations Film and Video Festival Inc.

The mission of First Nations Film and Video Festival is to advocate for and celebrate the works of Native Americans filmmakers and new works and films that break racial stereotypes and promotes awareness of Native American issues. All films screened are directed by Indigenous/Native American filmmakers from the United States, Canada, Central and South America, and Mexico.

The mission of First Nations Film and Video Festival Inc. is to support Indigenous/Native American filmmakers of all skill levels and work to provide them a venue for their works and voice.

FNFVF Inc runs two annual film festivals a year at various venues across Chicago, surrounding suburbs, and beyond. The festivals take place:

MAY 1 – 10 & NOVEMBER 1 -10 every year.

A STATEMENT FROM FNFVF INC.

Black lives matter.

Let this statement be said first and foremost.

First Nations Film and Video Festival Inc stands in support with Black Lives Matter and in support of any movement for the attainment of equality and justice for marginalized and repressed communities.

Be well. Stay safe. Keep working for justice.

With respect,

Ernest M Whiteman III (Northern Arapaho)
Director, FNFVF Inc

Board of First Nations Film and Video Festival, Inc:
BC Echohawk (Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma)
Samantha Garcia (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe)
Don Nole (Bad River Band – Chippewa)
Janie Pochel (Oji-Cree)
Christine Recloud (White Earth Ojibwe) (Member 2011-2021)
Winfield Woundedeye (Northern Cheyenne and Ojibwe) – FNFVF Youth Ambassador

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You can  “Like” us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! You can also see what our FNFVF Director is up to!

FNFVF, Inc. is a 501c3 tax-exempt organization thanks to the Chicago Arts Assistance Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, which supported our 501c3 tax-exempt application.

Thanks also to the Crossroads Fund for their invaluable support:

You can support the First Nations Film and Video Festival and help us support Native American Filmmakers! To continue your support click the DONATE button below. Thank you for your support of Native American Movie Makers across North America.

 

CALL FOR ENTRIES – FALL 2022 FESTIVAL, Begins June 15th

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FNFVF Call for Entries for the Fall 2022 Festival Opens June 15th!

First Nations Film and Video Festival Inc is pleased to announce the Call for Entries for the Fall 2022 film festival taking place November 1 – 10, 2022, at venues across the Chicagoland area and beyond. The Call for Entries will open on Wednesday (tomorrow), June 15th and the deadline is June 30th. Once again FNFVF Inc will host online screenings in addition to in-person venues.

FNFVF Inc is a tiny organization, all voluntary, with a four-member board and the FNFVF Director that oversees the day-today operation of the festival. The early Call for Entries is to give our director and board plenty of time to examine the submissions and make acceptance decisions based on the guidelines of the festival. When dealing with “Native-themed but NOT directed” films, much scrutiny and communication must be given. The shortened call for entries also lessened the amount of submissions the board and director must process.

We put on the festival twice a year, and for every festival, FNFVF Inc receives over 250 entries with about 10% being submissions from Indigenous/Native filmmakers. Then, maybe 20% of those accepted submissions are from Native American filmmakers from the US. So, FNFVF receives much representation from Canada, Mexico, and Central and South American Indigenous filmmakers. Films probably not screening anywhere else in the US.

At this time, we are pleased to announce the Chicago Premiere of “Rustic Oracle” which will screen at the fall festival. “Rustic Oracle” is a 2020 film directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau (Mohawk). Set in the late 90s, Rustic Oracle is a dramatic feature about Ivy, an 8-year-old girl trying to understand what happened to her big sister who has vanished from their small Mohawk community. With minimal clues, Ivy and her mother Susan embark on an unwelcome journey to find Heather which ultimately brings the pair closer together despite challenging circumstances. Behind the story of desperation, told through the eyes of a child, lies one of hope, growth, awakening and love.

In addition to the two annual festivals, FNFVF Inc has began hosting online discussion panels with various Indigenous filmmakers discussion a variety of topics not covered by the usual panel discussions. The second season of the program includes three new topics to discuss including issues within the Indigenous filmmaking community. The next program is coming up soon.

We are also pleased to host an outdoor screening in partnership with with the First Nations Garden Chicago. We screen past features of a themed package of short films at dusk on select dates.

We look forward to hosting you once again at the Fall First Nations Film and Video Festival running November 1st through the 10th. Keep checking http://fnfvf.org/schedule for more information on programs and venues.

Thank you for your years of patronage and FNFVF Inc celebrates 11 Years as a NPO and 32 years as an on-going program!

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: Season Two of “Fine, We’ll Do It Ourselves” Online Panel Discussion Series!

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Season Two of:
Fine, We’ll Do It Ourselves
Online Panel Discussion Series
June 2022 – Episode I: “What We Must Never Do is Steal from Ourselves”: Natives Appropriating Natives
We are asking past participants to be on this online panel to discuss the topic with one another.

FILMS SPOTLIGHT – DAY SEVEN

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FILMS SPOTLIGHT – DAY SEVEN

The Spring 2022 FNFVF concludes with a closing online film program. Tonight’s films are:

Runs Through Their Blood: A Life Impacted, directed by Helen DJ Pyette & Angela Lewis (M’Chigeeng First Nation, Sheshegwaning First Nation, Serpent River First Nation, Ontario Canada)
RUNS THROUGH THEIR BLOOD: A Life Impacted documents the effects of intergenerational trauma through the history of residential schools and how it is a part of the everyday lives of the community and how a community is moving forward to change.

Holy Mother Earth, directed by Benjamín Romero (Hñähñú Nation, México)
Mäkä Hmu Hai (Holy Mother Earth) is a portrait about the veneration of the Holy Land guided by the elders of the Otomí people of Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo. The search to rescue the traditions of the people and keep the culture alive is carried out by Don Braulio and Doña Claudia and the butlers Don Beto and Doña Elvira, who have the function of organizing and making known to their people the roots of their culture and how these fade with the current economic demands in Mexico.

Our closing feature will be:
Seven Ridges directed by Antonio Coello (Chiapanecan-Spanish)
In a desert by the sea, a culture survives modernity. A grandmother and her granddaughter intertwine in estrangement over memory. The myth sheds controversy; time falls in dreams of sand, old songs and rock music.

 

Join us once more time tonight in viewing these films. You can GET YOUR FREE TICKETS HERE. For those who got their tickets for prior programs, you can still use those to view tonight’s program with us

That is it for the Spring 2022 FNFVF. We wish to thank every one of the filmmakers for trusting us with their voice and work and in getting their films to audiences. We thank everyone who attended the in-person or the online events. We are glad that even though we are in a weird spot in dealing with the current pandemic, that you made time to see the films. You are a necessary part of that storytelling circle.

Thanks to Raul at the Comfort Station and Angela with Chicago Public Library in helping us set up two great venues. Look for more info on our next program in the “Fine, We’ll Do It Ourselves: Online Panel Discussion Series – “What We Must Never Do is Steal from Ourselves”: Natives Appropriating Natives”. Stay tuned.

Thanks again and we hope to see you again soon.