The National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian Institution, is hosting the Native Cinema Showcase online. This annual event celebrates short films created by Indigenous filmmakers and will be available on demand from November 21st to November 28th on the Native Cinema Showcase website.
This year’s showcase features a diverse range of films from countries such as the United States, Peru, New Zealand, and Greenland. The films showcase stories of resilience, inspiration, and hope, as well as provide entertainment and education. Four Indigenous languages are represented in the films: Quechua, Māori, Kalaallisut, and Mohawk.
To watch the showcased films from anywhere in the world, you can visit the AmericanIndian.si.edu website.
Here is a list of some of the films featured in the showcase:
– Aletha (US, 2024, 18 minutes) Directed by Alexander Bocchieri (Native Hawaiian)
– América (Peru, 2025, 15 minutes) Directed by Javier Arias-Stella (Quechua and Spanish with English subtitles)
– En Memoria (US, 2024, 11 minutes) Directed by Roberto Fatal (Mestize/Rarámuri/Genízaro)
– First Horse (New Zealand, 2024, 11 minutes) Directed by Awanui Simich-Pene (Māori with English subtitles)
– Hifi Ulu (New Zealand, 2024, 11 minutes) Directed by Chantelle Burgoyne (European/Samoan)
– Ivikkisartoq Kingulleq (The Last Grass Seamstress) (Greenland, 2024, 18 minutes) Directed by Arina Kleist (Inuk)
– Kenji (US, 2024, 12 minutes) Directed by Billy Luther (Navajo/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo)
– Place Where I Belong (US, 2024, 7 minutes) Directed by Christopher Nataanii Cegielski (Navajo)
– Tentsítewahkwe (US, 2024, 17 minutes) Directed by Katsitsionni Fox (Mohawk)
– The Great Cherokee Grandmother (US, 2024, 9 minutes) Directed by Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band Cherokee Nation)
– Through The Storm (US, 2024, 23 minutes) Directed by Charles Frank and Fritz Bitsoie (Diné)
– Tiger (US, 2025, 13 minutes) Directed by Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation/Kiowa)
– Up and Down the River (US, 2025, 22 minutes) Directed by Madeline Sayet (Mohegan)
The showcase is made possible in part by funding from the Walt Disney Company. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the rich storytelling and filmmaking talent of Indigenous creators at the Native Cinema Showcase.
