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Native American Film Festival

Presented by La Raza Galeria Posada at Sacramento State (CSUS) - University Union

March 6, 2011

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In conjunction with the Life is Precious exhibition of work by Native American artist Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, La Raza Galeria Posada and the Native American Telecommunications Group (NATG) are presenting a special evening of film screenings with NATG Director Shirley Sneve and producer Luke Griswold-Tergis (Smokin' Fish) on hand to introduce the films and answer questions from audience members.

This event takes place in the Hinde Auditorium in the University Union on the Sacramento State Campus.

Three films will be screened:
River of Renewal: winner of "Best Documentary" at the American Indian Film Festival in 2008, traces the tumultuous back story of recent historic accords in the longtime battle over salmon and water in the Klamath Basin. The Klamath Basin in Northern California and southeastern Oregon is home to ranchers, farmers, commercial fisherman and the Yurok, Karuk, and Hupa tribes. Since the mid-1800s, these groups have vied for rights to the Klamath River and its tributaries, which are vital spawning habitat for wild Pacific salmon. Hydroelectric dams have impeded the salmons’ ability to migrate between the ocean and their breeding grounds, and low river levels resulting from agricultural use have caused the mass death of migrating fish.

The Last Conquistador: John Valadez and Cristina Ibarra’s documentary had its national broadcast premiere in 2008 on PBS. When the El Paso City Council commissioned artist John Houser to create a larger-than-life statue of the Spanish Conquistador Juan de Oñate, artist Houser envisioned a magnificent and long-overdue tribute to the contributions of Hispanic culture and history. But the area’s Native Americans had their own very personal memories concerning Oñate. They recalled massacres, slavery, and terror. Neither Houser nor El Paso’s city councilors had intended any offense or controversy. When the storm of protest arose, they were taken by surprise. But should they have been?

Smokin' Fish (work in progress): Soon to have it’s California premiere at the prestigious LA Film Festival! Cory Mann is a quirky Tlingit businessman hustling to make a dollar in Juneau, Alaska. He gets hungry for smoked salmon, nostalgic for his childhood, and decides to spend a summer smoking fish at this family's traditional fish camp. The unusual story of his life and the untold history of his people interweave with the process of preparing traditional food as he struggles to pay his bills, keep the IRS off his back, and keep his business afloat. By turns tragic, bizarre, or just plain ridiculous, Smokin' Fish tells the story of one man's attempt to navigate the messy zone of collision between the modern world and an ancient culture. The film's editor is Maureen Gosling, renowned for her work with both Werner Herzog and Les Blank.