The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is pleased to sponsor the Santa Fe International Film Festival’s 2023 Indigenous Film Program (SFiFF)—look for our full-page ad on the back cover of the SFiFF program. This year’s programming, planned by Gary Farmer (Cayuga Nation and Wolf Clan), includes eight feature films, two retrospective films by SFiFF’s Visionary Award recipient Sterlin Harjo (Seminole and Muskogee Creek), and 14 short films screening in Indigenous Shorts 1 and 2.

In addition, the IAIA Student Shorts program on Friday, October 20 at 5:15 pm at the Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe (CCA) at 1050 Old Pecos Trail features five IAIA student films that won awards at the New Mexico Film Foundation’s Student Filmmaker Showcase. Tickets to the IAIA Student Shorts showcase are free, but must be reserved.

“We are delighted SFiFF showcases the talents and creativity of Indigenous filmmakers from North America and the world, including award-winning film shorts produced by IAIA film program students,” says IAIA President Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation).

And, there are other films showing by IAIA students and alumni during the SFiFF Shorts Program—to learn more about the Santa Fe International Film Festival, its Indigenous Film Program, and all film listings and events, visit the SFiFF website.

IAIA Student Shorts

Friday, October 20
CCA Studio
5:15–6:15 pm
FREE
Tickets

Tyee—Messenger of the Void
Director: Erik Sanchez (Shoalwater Bay, Chinook, and Apache), Run Time: 17m45s
2023 IAIA Student Filmmaker CINE Award Winner: Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Screenwriting

Baah The Perfect Bread
Director: Daveishena Redhouse (Diné), Run Time: 8m12s
2023 New Mexico Film Foundation Student Filmmaker Showcase Award Winner: Best Animated Film, Best Animation/Visual Effects 

Stay on the Path
Director: Brandon Martinez (Jicarilla Apache), Run Time: 14m51s
2023 New Mexico Film Foundation Student Filmmaker Showcase Award Winner: Best Overall Film (tie), Best Documentary, Best Actress, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Use of Original Music 

Big, Small, Scared, At Ease
Director: Ethan Nopah (Diné), Run Time: 7m28s
2023 New Mexico Film Foundation Student Filmmaker Showcase Award Winner: Best Narrative Film; 2023 IAIA Student Filmmaker CINE Award Winner: Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Editing 

Rise of the Tower House
Director: Tyrell Etsitty (Diné), Run Time: 17m00s
2023 IAIA Student Filmmaker CINE Award Winner: Outstanding Student Film, Outstanding Actress

IAIA Cinematic Arts & Technology

IAIA Cinematic Arts & Technology is dedicated to providing a safe, supportive environment for future Native screenwriters, directors, producers, actors, documentarians, cinematographers, editors, animators, and visual effects artists to explore their creativity and passion for their art. Our goal is to empower Native filmmakers with the creative and technical abilities necessary to craft cinematic experiences that have the power to connect with the widest audiences possible. A student graduating with a BFA in Cinematic Arts & Technology will possess the minimum skills necessary to function in an entry-level position in the professional workforce, whether their path leads them to Hollywood or back to work for their own communities.

Full Schedule of IAIA-Sponsored Film Showings

Thursday, October 19

Mekko
Director: Sterlin Harjo, Run Time: 87 Min., USA
CCA Studio
2:00–3:30 pm
Tickets
Mekko, a Muscogee man, has just been released from prison after serving 19 years for murder and seeks to rebuild his life. When he tries to reconcile with his family, however, they shun him and he is forced onto the streets, falling in with the vagrant population. He quickly becomes embroiled in a fateful conflict with a local thug, and what follows is a bleak, authentic snapshot of present-day Native American life. Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s real-life Native American homeless community, this film boasts an all-Native cast and fuses gritty realism with the fantasy of Indigenous legends.

The Mission
Directors: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss, Run Time: 103 Min., USA
Jean Cocteau Cinema
3:45 pm
Tickets
In 2018, a young American missionary, John Chau, was killed by arrows while attempting to contact one of the world’s most isolated Indigenous peoples on remote North Sentinel Island. From Emmy-winning directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, The Mission examines the mythology of exploration that inspired him, the evangelical community that supported his quest, and reveals his own father’s heartbreak as Chau’s youthful thirst for adventure became a fatal obsession. 

Bad Press
Directors: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler, Run Time: 98 Min., USA
Violet Crown
7:30–9:00 pm
Q&A. Filmmaker in Attendance.
Tickets
When the Muscogee Nation suddenly begins censoring their free press, a rogue reporter fights to expose her government’s corruption in a historic battle that will have ramifications for all of Indian Country.

Friday, October 20

Fancy Dance
Director: Erica Tremblay, Run Time: 91 Min., USA
CCA Cinema
10:00 am–11:58 am
Tickets
Following her sister’s disappearance, a Native American hustler kidnaps her niece from the child’s white grandparents and sets out for the state powwow in the hopes of keeping what’s left of her family intact.

The Mission
Directors: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss, Run Time: 103 Min., USA
Jean Cocteau Cinema
12:20 pm
Tickets
In 2018, a young American missionary, John Chau, was killed by arrows while attempting to contact one of the world’s most isolated Indigenous peoples on remote North Sentinel Island. From Emmy-winning directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, THE MISSION examines the mythology of exploration that inspired him, the evangelical community that supported his quest, and reveals his own father’s heartbreak as Chau’s youthful thirst for adventure became a fatal obsession.

Ever Deadly
Directors: Chelsea McMullan, Tanya Tagaq, Run Time: 90 Min., Canada
CCA Cinema
3:10–4:40 pm
Tickets
Throughout her ground-breaking career, Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq has always had an intimate relationship with the Nuna—the Land—a living, breathing organism present in her improvised performances. Ever Deadly weaves together intimate concert footage of Tagaq alongside moving personal reflections, stunning sequences filmed in Nunavut, and hand-drawn animation by Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona to seamlessly bridge history, landscapes, stories, and songs with pain, anger, and triumph—all through the expressions of one of the most innovative musical performers of our time.

IAIA Student Shorts
CCA Studio
5:15–6:15 pm
FREE
Tickets

Saturday, October 21

Indigenous Shorts 2
NM History Museum
10:00–11:33 am
Tickets

Things You Know But Cannot Explain
Directors: Michelle Hernandez, Chantal Jung

Urpi: Her Last Wish
Director: Sisa Quispe

Vertebrae
Director: Travis Shilling

Na Savi
Director: Sofia Ayerdi

Lily Gladstone: Far Out There
Director: Brooke Pepion Swaney

City of Roses
Director: LaRonn Katchia

Machi
Director: Eoghan McDonaugh

Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun
Director: Banchi Hanuse, Run Time: 89 Min., Canada
CCA Studio
2:15­–3:44 pm
Q&A. Filmmaker in Attendance.
Tickets
An intimate and thrilling portrait of a young Siksika woman Logan Red Crow and the deep bonds between her father and family in the golden plains of Blackfoot Territory as she prepares for one of the most dangerous horse races in the world…the Indian Relay.

Frybread Face and Me
Director: Billy Luther, Run Time: 79 Min., USA
NM History Museum
2:45–4:04 pm
Q&A. Filmmaker in Attendance.
Tickets
Benny is a Native American boy growing up in San Diego. Everything Benny thinks he knows about himself and his family is turned upside down when his parents send him to his Grandma Lorraine’s sheep ranch in Arizona. There he meets his cousin Dawn— AKA Frybread Face, a pudgy 11-year-old vagabond, tough-as-nails tomboy. Benny has never met anyone like her, and he is equally intimidated and impressed by her knowledge of Navajo language and tradition.

SFiFF Visionary Award Recipient Sterlin Harjo
7:00 pm
The Lensic
Tickets
Harjo is a member of the Seminole Nation and has Muskogee heritage. He received a fellowship from the Sundance Institute in 2004, and he was awarded a 2021 Peabody Award for producing the TV series Reservation Dogs, which is executive produced, directed, and co-written by Harjo, with Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Next Goal Wins) also co-writing and executive producing. Harjo will accept the SFiFF Visionary Award for his exceptional talent and ingenuity in filmmaking. SFiFF’s Visionary Award ceremony will include a special discussion with award recipient Sterlin Harjo and Reservation Dogs and Resident Alien actor Gary Farmer.

This May be the Last Time
Director: Sterlin Harjo, Run Time: 90 Min., USA
7:00 pm
The Lensic
In 1962, filmmaker Sterlin Harjo’s grandfather disappeared mysteriously, and as the Seminole community searched for him, they sang ancient songs of faith and hope. This May Be the Last Time traces the creation of the songs, which commemorate the forced removal of the Seminole from their homeland.

Sunday, October 22

The Pueblo Opera Program: And What Could Be Next
Director: Beverly R. Singer, Run Time: 60 Min., USA
CCA Cinema
10:00am–11:00am
Q&A. Filmmaker in Attendance.
Tickets
The Santa Fe Opera celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Pueblo Opera Program (POP) with a new documentary film. The Pueblo Opera Program: And What Could Be Next, directed by Beverly R. Singer of Santa Clara Pueblo and produced by the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council (POCC) in collaboration with the Santa Fe Opera, chronicles the 50-year history between the Santa Fe Opera and Pueblo and Tribal Communities of New Mexico, examining how this innovative programming has inspired Pueblo and Tribal youth to engage with opera, including attending Youth Nights at the Opera and performing at the Santa Fe Opera.

Indigenous Shorts 1
NM History Museum
10:00–11:30am
Tickets

Apayauq
Director: Zeppelin Zeerip

E Mālama Pono, Willy Boy
Director: Scott W. Kekama Amona

pî-kiwîk
Director: Keisha Erwin

Primero, Sueño
Director: Andrés Lira

Tiny
Directors: Ritchie Hemphill, Ryan Haché

Weaving A Legacy: Ella Mae Blackbear
Director: Danielle Culp

I Am Home
Director: Kymon Greyhorse

Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun
Director: Banchi Hanuse, Run Time: 89 Min., Canada
CCA Cinema
12:00pm–1:29pm
Q&A. Filmmaker in Attendance.
Tickets
An intimate and thrilling portrait of a young Siksika woman Logan Red Crow and the deep bonds between her father and family in the golden plains of Blackfoot Territory as she prepares for one of the most dangerous horse races in the world…the Indian Relay.

Gomeo Bobelu
Director: Jaima Chevalier, Run Time: 68 Min., USA
NM History Museum
12:30–1:38 pm
Q&A. Filmmaker in Attendance.
Tickets
Gomeo’s life story as a renowned artist battling adversity and discrimination at every turn is curated against the grand backdrop of New Mexico history, painting a portrait of resilience and artistic integrity that lights a path forward on the Missing & Murdered Indigenous People’s crisis.

Hey Viktor!
Director: Cody Lightning, Run Time: 102 Min., Canada
CCA Cinema
4:45–6:27 pm
Q&A. Filmmaker in Attendance.
Tickets
Twenty years removed from childhood fame as Little Viktor in 1998’s Smoke Signals, Cody Lightning has been forced to move home to his reserve in northern Alberta. When Cody learns his wife and kids are leaving him for a younger, more successful actor, he decides it’s time to make his masterpiece.