Sundance Indigenous Shorts Tour

 

On August 29, 2024, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) proudly hosted the Sundance Indigenous Shorts Tour, showcasing films created by Indigenous filmmakers from around the globe. The event, held at the Salisbury Theatre, featured a range of short films that delved into significant themes like land connection, language, and the importance of community. Through this collaboration between UAF’s Department of Theatre and Film and the Sundance Institute, students and the public were given a unique opportunity to engage with authentic Indigenous storytelling.

The film collection represented a wide variety of voices, from Alaska Native communities to Indigenous groups in New Zealand and North America. These films explored critical cultural themes and reflected the experiences of multiple generations within these communities. UAF professor and Indigenous filmmaker Kavelina Torres emphasized the importance of self-representation in filmmaking, noting how it allows Indigenous creators to tell their stories in their own way. This personal touch resonated with audiences, offering an inside look into these communities and their narratives.

Ranging from comedies and dramas to documentaries, the films demonstrated the richness of Indigenous storytelling. Maya Salganek, Chair of UAF’s Department of Theatre and Film, highlighted the global relevance of these stories, explaining how they offer fresh, underrepresented perspectives. This event also reinforced the Sundance Institute’s dedication to elevating independent filmmakers, particularly those whose stories are often sidelined in mainstream cinema.

Featured films included:

A Seminole man in a jacket and hat faces the camera. Image courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Goodnight Irene (U.S.A.)

Director: Sterlin Harjo

Three Seminole patients share some laughs and poignant truths as they wait for treatment at the local Indian hospital. Fiction.

A man sits on a couch in a green room. Image courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Headdress (U.S.A.)

Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire, Producer: David Spador

When an act of casual racism confronts a Queer Native man, he retreats into his mind to find the perfect clap back from various versions of his own identity.

Jenna Murray, image courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Winding Path (U.S.A.)

Directors: Alexandra Lazarowich, Ross Kauffman, Producer: Robin Honan

Eastern Shoshone MD-PhD student Jenna Murray spent summers on the Wind River Indian Reservation helping her grandfather anyway she could. When he suddenly dies, she must find a way to heal before realizing her dream of a life in medicine. Nonfiction.⁠

Children sitting in a tree. image courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Hawaiki (New Zealand)

Director and Screenwriter: Nova Paul, Producer: Tara Riddell

At the edge of the playground close to the forest, the children of Okiwi School made a refuge they call Hawaiki. Hawaiki has spiritual and metaphysical connections for Māori as the children create a space for their self-determination. Fiction.

Close up image of the impression a hand left in dust on a pane of glass. Image courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Sunflower Siege Engine (U.S.A.)

Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sky Hopinka

Movements of resistance are collapsed and woven together, from reflections of one’s own body in the world today, to documentation of Alcatraz, the reclamation of Cahokia, and the repatriation of the ancestors. Fiction.⁠

Two foxes running through the grass. Image courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Bay of Herons (U.S.A.)

 Director: Jared James Lank

Calling on the strength of his ancestors, a young Mi’kmaq man reflects on the pain of bearing witness to the destruction of his homelands. Fiction.⁠

Portrait courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Ekbeh (U.S.A.)

Director: Mariah Eli Hernandez-Fitch

While learning to make gumbo, the creator shares personal stories about their grandparents as a way to honor and preserve their Indigenous history and life. Nonfiction.⁠

Abstract textured image. Courtesy of the Sundance Institute
Baigal Nuur – Lake Baikal (Canada, Germany)

Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alisi Telengut

The formation of Lake Baikal in Siberia is reimagined, featuring the voice of a Buryat woman who can still recall some words in her endangered Buryat language (a Mongolian dialect). Animation.⁠

 

UAF hosts Sundance showcase of Indigenous films (KTVF)