FILMS OF THE SPRING 2026 FNFVF

Deneege Leł Ghu Kk’ots’eedeneeyh Te Heł Hoozoonh Ts’e Denots’edeneeyh (5:00)
The tradition of tanning hides with brains was once practiced by every Dené person in Alaska. An art that was nearly lost by assimilation, Kathleen Hildebrand works with a group of Dené women at her urban backyard hide camp in the heart of Chen’o (Fairbanks) to revive this tradition.

One of the few films out there narrated in Denaakk’e, we learn alongside the women how the hides have healing.
Brittany Woods-Orrison (Rampart Village Tribe/Koyukon Denè)

Voices of Axé (1:01:25)
The Matriarchs in a terreiro are the guardians of the religious reference and its transmission is made from person to person, from body to body. We invite you to listen to a generational story. Vozes do Axé follows three stories that are interconnected by something far beyond us.
Kanauã Nharu Machado (Xokleng, sul do Brasil)

Dear Alaska, (1:26:54)
Sharks are tuned in to the natural rhythms of the world, sensing emotions, events, and energies from thousands of miles away. They are the messengers of the vast oceans that connect us all. The director's family are sharks and they carry that medicine with them. But, what happens to a family when a shark is captured for its fins? When a Japanese father is kidnapped and shipped to internment camp after internment camp? All his kids stolen and trapped in boarding schools designed to strip them of their roots? A Tlingit mother left with an empty, broken home?

The director, Moriah, and their family are Wooshkeetaan, Eagle-wolf moiety of Tóos Hít, Shark House, and despite these intense fractures, their keen sensibility as sharks brought them back together in the 5th generation, the director's generation. Colonial violence and U.S. militarism attempted to wipe out their family, their community, and their cultures. Colonizers tried to render Tlingit people extinct, boasting about Moriah's language being endangered like a forgotten fish, but sharks bite back.

As one of the first Tlingit produced feature documentaries, this story captures this sacred bite in the form of juxtaposed homecoming journeys, guided by this shark medicine. Shark siblings discover old family secrets (00:33:14) and create trails for their elders to follow. Elders learn the language (00:37:37) that was stolen as they swim alongside the younger fish. This sacred bite, a preservation of culture, is a two-way current, running from elder to youth and youth to elder. 01:19:20 is the concluding animation in the film that amplifies and celebrates this reclamation of culture. Dear Alaska, is a love letter to Moriah's family, their people, their culture, and their land.
Moriah Hayes (Tlingit)

Cervantine Videodance No.2: The Deer Dance! (3:41)
The Deer Dance, an ancient expression that recognizes nature as the world's provider, seeks a connection between humans and the spiritual world by imitating the movements of the deer, a sacred animal for the Mayo Yoreme and Yaqui peoples.
Héctor Maya Requena (Mayo Yoreme)

Shí naashá (07:34)
In 1868, after four years of imprisonment at Bosque Redondo, the Diné successfully negotiated for their journey home. When they saw their sacred mountain to the south, Tsoodził/ Mt. Taylor, it was a moment of ebullience as they sang a song honoring their homeland and their existence to live a just, free, and dignified life for generations to come.

Shi Naashá is an intergenerational song of Siihasin/ Hope and Resilience of the Diné.

T'ahdii kǫ́ǫ́ honiidlǫ́. We are still here.

Hool’áágóó T’áá Diné. We are Diné Forever.

In kinship and solidarity with all displaced and dispossessed peoples.
Beverly Price, DiAnte Jenkins (Navajo and Cherokee)

RED BIRD (1:11:02)
Film inspired by an Ecuadorian oral story. Puka Urpi is about the adventure of Killa, a 5-year-old girl who, after the death of her mother, moves from the city to the countryside to live with her grandmother. At first, she does not understand the language or the environment, but little by little over time the girl learns from her grandmother to work the land and connects with the countryside and nature. One day the grandmother gets sick and Killa goes into the forest in search of the medicine, here she finds some red feathers that guide her to an old house where she finds something that will change her destiny.

Puka Urpi is a film that invites children and young people to reflect on the subject of the death of a loved one, in a subtle and poetic way. Death as the transformation of the human material body into another being and part of the life process of every being. Based on the philosophy of life of the Kichwa Otavalo culture, who told their children magical and poetic oral stories.

Segundo Carlos Fuérez (kichwa Otavalo from Ecuador)

KINKU (6:08)
Kinku is a girl who lost her older sister Nanki, who disappeared a long time ago. Hoping to see Nanki again, she begins her journey along several winding paths, going through her fears and pains until she builds a place where she knows there are different ways to meet the ones we love.
Wayra Ana Velásquez, Segundo Fuérez, Jumy Flores (kichwa Otavalo from Ecuador)

Purple strained (7:06)
In Ecuador, every day there are missing people. November 2 is no exception day, as people enjoy the special purple strained, a boy goes out to the store but his path crosses an atrocious fate.
Segundo Fuérez (kichwa Otavalo from Ecuador)

Carnivorous Flower (5:22)
Kuri is a 6-year-old boy who discovers the process of making an animated short film.

Excitedly, he experiments with traditional techniques like hand-drawing and clay.

In the end, he shows us his first animated work called CARNIVOROUS FLOWER.
Kuri Fuérez (kichwa Otavalo from Ecuador)

My Message to You (2:00)
With less than a handful of fluent Haida speakers, Nayak'aq Yaahl (6) shares a message all in the Haida language: even though we may be going through difficult times, be still and listen to our ancestors.
'Wáats'asdíyei Joe Yates (Haida, Alaskan Native)

Blacktop Poets: The Story of Without Rezervation (14:50)
Through a series of archival footage, pictures, and interviews, filmmaker Mike J. Marin chronicles the rise of Native hip-hop told by Without Rezervation (WOR), the first recognized Native American rap group in the United States. Chris “MC Hiddese” Lamarr, Kevin “Mac Nez” Nez, and Mike “Saint Mike” Marin tell their stories of the life and times of being one of the most influential rap groups that ushered in next chapter in the Red Power Movement.
Mike J. Marin (Pueblo of Laguna)

The School: The Legacy of Hintil Ku'u Cǎ (34:03)
In this short documentary, "The School" tells the story of Hintil Ku'u Cǎ (House of Children), a Native American preschool/after-school program in Oakland, CA that was founded by a group of parents on Alcatraz Island during the 1970's occupation. The origin, forming, and execution of Hintil is told by the school's earliest participants, including students, parents, and former teachers and how they overcame racism, adversity, and the threat of closure over the past 40 years.
Mike J. Marin (Pueblo of Laguna)

Zila (19:30)
While searching for a job opportunity, Heitor visits the old mansion ‘Casarao do Carmo’ and becomes drawn to Zilá, a mysterious employee of the place. Upon returning, he discovers that the mansion holds dark secrets far beyond what he ever imagined.
Henry Geraldes (Tupi-Guarani/Tupinambá of Brazil)

Flowers from my land (25:29)
The meeting of my mother and my niece silently evokes the suffering to which the women of my town have historically been subjected.
Maria Candelaria Palma Marcelino - Mixteco (Comunales de Cacahuatepec, Mexico)

Between Salt and Sky (16:55)
In the heart of the Bolivian altiplano, where the infinite white of the Salar de Uyuni meets the deep blue of the sky, an epic battle unfolds. Ariel Flores, leader of the Rio Grande community, faces a monumental challenge: to preserve the millennial tradition of capturing and shearing wild vicuñas in a rapidly transforming world. Climate change threatens the delicate balance of this unique ecosystem, while the exploitation of lithium, the planet's largest reserve, beckons with progress, but at what cost?
Felipe Rosa (quechua)

Javyju - Good Morning (25:00)
It’s the near future and the Earth has been destroyed. The indigenous people managed to survive thanks to the protection of the spirits of nature. In the former city of São Paulo, the Guarani village of Jaragua is one of the remainder and receives a message of hope through a dream. The village shaman calls three young people to travel to the empty city in search of answers.
Carlos Eduardo Magalhães, Kunha Rete is Guarani Mbya

Whispers Between Two Worlds (10:42)
Whispers Between Two Worlds explores a forbidden love between Tareq, an Arab-American husband and father, and Noa, an Israeli woman, as they confront the personal cost of intimacy shaped by history, identity, and inherited conflict. Through two quiet, charged conversations—one with a friend, one with a lover—Tareq is forced to reckon with desire, loyalty, and the legacy he leaves behind, revealing how love can both humanize and fracture those caught between worlds.
Cameren Jackson (Shinnecock)

Clay Woman (17:23)
In the crucible of clay and tradition, Rufina, a Ayuujk potter from Oaxaca, transforms her pain into art, defying machismo and violence. Mujer de Barro is a story of resilience, freedom, and the transformative power of creation.
Martínez Vásquez (AYUKK-MIXE OAXACA)

Florencio Quispe (32:56)
Florencio Quispe, 94, tells us his story. At 87, he learned to read and write, a national milestone from muleteer to miner and transhumant. A Colla who still lives in the Andes.

And he serves his country like no one else.
Christian Milla Mancilla (Kolla)

Isolated and Deprived (27:00)
The community of the Quinchao Archipelago, Chiloé, is isolated due to connectivity problems that force them to uproot themselves from their territories to access health, education, among others. This crisis has been unleashed because private marine transport companies do not comply with travel schedules and arbitrarily raise transport rates. It is because of this that the islanders decide to organize to demand a solution to their problems.
Estela Imigo, Víctor Gutiérrez (tehuelche)

Tacneñas Women and the Flag procession (16:02)
The women of Tacna, Peru remember every year what they experienced during the War with Chile (1879-1883), the 50 years of captivity under the Chilean government after losing the Pacific War and which they recovered in the Plebiscite of 1929. The three Tacna women who appear in the video share with us the example of love for the country, courage and peaceful resistance, which their mothers and teachers transmitted to them and celebrate with the so-called Flag Procession.
Rosi Helé Castellanos del Portal (aymara)

Tinku (11:30)
An eclipse begins the ritual. On an endless desert, two ancient peoples divided by a wound in the earth meet to celebrate a unique and magical event. Tinku. In the darkness of the eclipse, this ritual will require the greatest display of courage and strength: Self-sacrifice.
Román Nina Nina (Aimara & Quechua)

Ujjirijavut (We See Changes) (30:00)
James Simonee, an Inuit hunter from Pond Inlet, Nunavut, investigates the impacts of one of the largest iron mines in the world on traditional lands near his community. Equipped with his rich cultural knowledge and scientific tools, James embarks on a journey to help his community to take an active role into preserving the local culture and country foods for next generations in the midst of the growing appetite of a mining giant.
Vincent L'Héreault, James Simonee (Inuit)

This is a Sign (6:10)
Personified speed limit signs talk about how it feels to be ignored by drivers.
Bradford Lyman Leon Lovell (Northern Shoshone)

TOTEM (21:00)
Ashley Harrah is a "pretendian" falsely claiming Native American heritage to boost her popularity as an online influencer. Her latest video takes her on a vision quest for a sacred totem pole she discovers is cursed, not sacred.
That Native Thomas (Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma)

Tiny Love (19:59)
As everyday passes Maria finds greater concerns for the future of her loved ones, especially her children, as they all live in the current conditions in socialist regime in decadence. As a mother there are no limits to the sacrifices she is willing to take, but the opportunities do not come easily.
Augusto Castillo (Mayan-Yucatan, Mexico)

Painted (Jaguar) (21:00)
Tamikuã Txihi, jaguar woman, community, environmental and spiritual leader in Tekoa Itakupe, Jaraguá Indigenous Land. She makes art as a tool to fight for and defend the bodies, territories and knowledge of indigenous peoples, the new bows and arrows that will launch humanity's dreams into the future.
Tamikuã is from the Pataxó People (Brazil) and Julieta is from the Aymara People (Bolivia)

Water Star Medicine (French subtitles) 00:06:00
MESA Youth Film Club explores water out in the field, in their studies, interviewing a water scientist, Veda Austin, and using NASA stock footage to understand the power, origin, and meaning of water. MESA Youth Film Club (Māori, Apache, Yupik, Diné, Puebloan)

35,567 Yup'ik Stories (5:00)
Middle School student creates his second film about his Yup'ik heritage by visiting a music band from his tribe that has reached global success, and like him, share their passion about their culture through the arts.
Magnus Shipe (Yupik, Native Alaska)

Street Path (7:25)
In a gritty urban neighborhood, a streetwise Métis teen’s descent into crime leaves his 8-year-old brother facing a heartbreaking choice about the path his life will take.
Johanna Silver (Metis Nation of Alberta)

Walking Forward, Metis Strong (7:03)
The story of one woman's journey to reclaim her culture, inspire pride and empower the next generation to never question who they are.
Johanna Silver (Metis Nation of Alberta)

Forever After (11:22)
"Ricardo “Matthew” suffers from Isa “Crystal” reminders playing back in his memories and the guilt from Crystal’s suicide. Can Matthew overcome his guilt with Izzy ""Heather"" support, or continue to blame himself for Crystal’s fate?
Miles Smith Jr (Jicarilla Apache Nation)

Run N 2 (A Black Man) (5:20)
Short film/video project by LA Native Christopher Wilkinson. Filmed by LA Native Jamie Cammon. The song and video highlight the resilience and Beauty of the Indigenous experience from Africa to America and Abroad.
Christopher Charles Wilkinson (Ojibwe Tribe (Turtle Nation))

Datura (about green blindness) (07:15)
"Datura ..." is a video performance that critically and reflectively examines our relationship with the urban plant environment. The piece aims to provoke viewers about ""plant blindness,"" a tendency to ignore the presence and value of plants in our daily lives.

The artist combines performance, photography, sculpture, and dance to create a visually rich narrative. The transformation of the performer into a datura seed and her interaction with the urban landscape is the central theme, symbolizing the struggle to reconnect with nature in a predominantly artificial environment.

What stands out most about ""Datura"" is its ability to interweave cultural and scientific elements. The work explores the cultural roots of the human-plant relationship, drawing on the energy and dance of Shiva, the healing rituals of the Mapuche machi, the pow wows of Native Americans, and the medicinal wisdom of ancient China. This diversity of references enriches the viewer's experience and offers multiple layers of interpretation.

The piece also reflects the artist's background in anthropology, archaeology, and art history. These fields of knowledge add an intellectual depth that elevates the visual narrative, making it not only an aesthetic work but also a critical reflection on contemporary disconnection from the environment.
Laura Soledad Ferradas, Rodrigo Nahuel Lopez (mapuche)

The Damnation (1:20:17)
‘The Damnation’ takes place in the small largely Indigenous Canadian communities of Creek and Buffalo Mines. Since the closing of the mines a number of years ago the area is a shell of its once thriving past. The area is mostly made up of seniors and Indigenous people who have inhabited the area for hundreds of years. To further complicate matters developers - led by a mysterious religious figure have appeared and are clearcutting the land. These developments and age-old colonial sentiments have helped un-earth a malignant evil that begins not only destroying the environment; but feeding on the blood of locals.

Eighteen year old Sarah Blackice is forced into taking action. Sarah, along with her cousins Birdie and Jimi, and their friend Wes approach a local talk radio host of a show about myths, monsters and urban legends. The show titled the Val Helsing Show named Remi Gates for his expertise in helping combat the evil that has arisen. This unlikely team must band together to overcome the dark malevolence they're confronted with.

Christopher Darton, Sébastien Godin (Anishnaabe - Algonquin (Timishkaming First Nation))

Miss C's first vlog (5:23)
Miss C is a puppet with a puppet dream, to be in the first world cup burlesque derby award winner. Miss C has a cult following of marionettes who watches her vlogs. We get to see what it takes to be a burlesque puppet in this silly little world.

Erica Wilson (Saulteaux, Pine Creek First Nation, Canada)

Made For Her: A Native American Fashion Film (10:00)
Our story follows The Cultivator and The Potter, Spiritual Beings bound by their forbidden love. In their high-fashion dimension, they must hide their relationship. The Potter’s parents offer her hand to The Warrior.

Taken by surprise, The Potter runs from the alter with The Warrior giving chase. When he finds The Potter and The Cultivator embracing in a hug, he rips The Potter away. Sad, The Cultivator runs through a magic portal to an unknown land. There, her sadness creates a great storm. Soon, she is swept away in a great flood. In the depths, she sinks below, and becomes clay. After some time, The Potter finds her love, and collects her, as she is now clay. Back in The Potter’s studio, she uses the clay to create a masterpiece. A vase that will hold their love forever. A vase that is Made For Her.
Orlando Skidmore (White Mountain Apache Tribe)

SHANK: THE MOVIE (1:45:26)
Pulled out of a self imposed exile, urban legend Shank must find out who is trying to have him killed while discovering where his long lost love had disappeared to.
Jim Terry (Ho-Chunk Nation)

Their Warming Heart (4:20)
My uncle passed away and this film is how I decided to explore grief. I wish I had been able to sing for my uncle before he passed away so I created this song for him. Inspired by a dream I had, my short film cuts between a falltime scene of a boy and myself, and a thawing caribou heart. Written and sung in Dinjii Zhuh K’yaa, the Gwich’in language, it is the first music video of its kind.

Our Indigenous languages are alive and just like us, they are adapting to this mainstream culture. As a film student I don’t see enough Indigenous language representation in the media. Dinjii Zhuh K’yaa is so poetic and beautiful that I figured it was time to highlight that. I want to encourage language learning, and show our Elders that our languages belong. Through my music video I wanted to show the potential our languages can hold in modern spaces.
Nanieezh Peter (Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government (Alaskan Native, Gwich’in), Diné, and Tohono O'odham)

Lost One (3:52)

Kaitlyn E Nance (Nottoway)

The enchanted mission (10:14)
With the water almost running out and the fridge empty, Farofeira receives an enchanted mission and embarks on an adventure made of dream, nightmare, prophecy, fiction, and reality through the paths and ancestral knowledge of the South American peoples.
MARTA TORRES (Kañari)