8th Annual Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival

The 8th Annual Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival   Sponsorship made possible by Grants for Health and Wellbeing made possible by  the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health # 5 and Dr. Stephen Sideroff  Thursday, May 23rd: [Opening Night] Screening and Lecture & LIVE Performances with Aponte & the Puerto Rico Bomba Collective Presenter Filmmaker Alba Enid Garcia  MASTERCLASS DESCRIPTION Dak'Toká Taíno (I am Taíno): A personal search for my Taíno roots and how it evolved into activism thru film. September 2017-  Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico and destroyed homes, plantations and 3,000 people died. I was devastated because food and other necessities  weren't arriving to remote  mountainous areas.  I knew then that something was very wrong. I saw that must of the help we weren't getting was due greatly because of our colonial status and old laws that keeps Puerto Rico subdued to the United States. The film aims to reveal our Taíno culture but at the same time it creates awareness of the colonialism structure we were put in. I am hoping to inspire our people, my Borikén brothers and sisters to come up with solutions and shape our own destiny and give the new generations the tools to keep moving Puerto Rico forward. Dak'Toká Taíno, (I am Taíno)  is a live-puppet short about the aftermath of hurricane María in Puerto Rico and how grandma Yaya helps her grand-daugther Marabelí understand their history, their Taíno indigenous culture and how to cope under the desperate situation they are in. In the film grandma teaches Marabelí a Taíno prayer and it also teaches the little girl that we can prosper using old Taíno technology of protecting the earth and sustainability  plus using new ways  to plant for the future of our island Borikén (Puerto Rico). I draw from my experience of having two grandmothers or aracoeles, that were Taíno and in my childhood memories of learning from them in the mountains of Borikén. APONTE' Aponte is a versatile independent artist, composer, and producer. Best described as,the future of Latin sounds, a synergy of salsa, hip hop, reggaeton, soul, and jazz. He has performed for live audiences around the world: Europe, Israel, and Latin America. Aponte has worked with many Grammy, Latin Grammy winners and nominees like Wisin y Yandel, Tego Calderon, David Sanchez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Gilberto Santarosa. He has a passion for uniting cultures through his music and message. Aponte hails from Puerto Rico and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Jazz and Afro-Caribbean genres from the Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico. Aponte is also an Educator with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and was honored by the Rudy Regalado Foundation for his work in the community.  His newest single, "PARRANDA", is inspired by the Cuban rumba and latin trap. Available now on all digital platforms. Puerto Rico Bomba Collective  BOMBA IS PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY - WHICH CONSISTS OF SOUTH,CENTRAL AND NORTH AMERICA AS WELL AS, THE CARIBBEAN.  FOR MORE THAN 300 YEARS THE LEGACY OF THE OPPRESSED HAS BECOMETHE SONG OF THE RESILIENT.  THROUGH PERCUSSION AND DANCE BOMBA ISAN INFECTIOUS SOUND THAT CELEBRATES LIFE AND IS A BLEND OF NATIVE,AFRICAN AND SPANISH INFLUENCES.  THE PR BOMBA COLLECTIVE WAS BORN FROM A DEVOTED GROUP OF PEOPLEWHO AIM TO BUILD COMMUNITY AND KEEP THE TRADITIONS ALIVE. THEGROUP CONSISTS OF: CONSERVATORY OF PUERTO RICO PERCUSSIONIST ANDINSTRUCTOR, APONTE. THE TALENT OF MARITXELL CARRERO WHO LEADSTALLER KURUBINA, A WORSKHOP FOR BOMBA DANCERS IN LOS ANGELES ANDTALLER BULA LED BY HECTOR RIVERA IN LONG BEACH - ALONG WITH MANYGIFTED "BOMBEROS" THROUGHOUT ORANGE COUNTY AND LOS ANGELES THISGROUP AIMS TO BRIDGE CULTURES THROUGH BOMBA. Friday MAY 24th, 2019  4:00 AJE IJO SERIES (3RD INSTALLMENT): RIVERS OF NINEAJE IJO           1 by Kiana Harris    Trailer https://vimeo.com/226179542 A native of Anchorage, Alaska Kiana created and debuted her first dance film entitled “DIVINE” part l and ll summer of 2016 in Seattle, WA available on Vimeo. Her dance films were also featured in Langston Hughes African American Film Festival Risk/Reward Festival, SIFF 1 Reel Film Festival at Bumbershoot. Her latest debut, AJE IJO Dance Film Series screened at Artist of Color Expo & Symposium, Translation Film Festival and On The Boards. Her mission as a filmmaker, is to reclaim imagery in a non-exploitative representation from a black womxn's lens, and it be one of many tools to drive black liberation. Long Yearning Long Yearning  Synopsis “Long Yearning” is a cinematic exploration of the lives of Chinese factory workers and the nature of repetitive industrialised work. The film is intermixed with written excerpts of traditional Chinese poetry, creating a surreal merging between modern and ancient China. 4:30 pm Amazon Changers Cook to Empower  or our documentary, we accompanied an extraordinary development project: "Cuisine sans frontières" ("Chefs without Borders") set up a floating school for indigenous communities in Ecuador’s Amazon. The goal of the project is a fundamental change. It proposes a shift from an economy based on extractivism to one that helps preserve the environment. And a shift from the oppression of indigenous communities to their empowerment. "Cuisine sans frontières" ("Cooks without Borders") "You can produce happiness with cooking and eating," David Höner, the founder of the Swiss NGO, is convinced. "On this basis, bridges can be built to bring adversary groups back into dialogue." The floating school on the Rio Napo is the latest and probably most complex project of Cuisine sans frontières. For outsiders, the tensions in Ecuador’s Amazon are not immediately visible. But the difficulties are revealed in the pumping noise of rusty oil pipelines, in flames of flared methane, industrial plants in the middle of the jungle, fenced with barbed wire, as well as in alcoholism, disillusion, and fights between different indigenous groups. Höners vision is not only to empower indigenous communities for self-determination, but also an economically and ecologically sustainable tourism region, which is managed by themselves. He is currently establishing a network of hotels, eco-lodges and companies to enable his best students to enter the labour market and to provide alternatives to oil jobs. In the main town El Coca he wants to set up a booking centre through which indigenous people can independently market their communal ecotourism projects along the Rio Napo – coupled with a market for local products. "To a certain degree this will contribute to the `Disneylandisation` of the Amazon," admits Höner. But he sees no better alternative: "Either the indigenous people will become part of globalization through tourism, or they will be exterminated by it."  6:00 pm SAME GOD   runtime 90 mins  Q& A  Trailer : https://vimeo.com/287471792 In December 2015, the political rhetoric against Muslims was escalating. Dr. Larycia Hawkins, an African-American political science professor at Wheaton College—a prestigious evangelical school outside of Chicago—wanted to show support for Muslim women. She posted a photo of herself in a hijab on Facebook. “I love my Muslim neighbor,” she wrote, “because s/he deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity….we worship the Same God.” Within days, Wheaton’s Provost suspended Dr. Hawkins, eventually moving to terminate her tenure. Were the school’s actions a move to protect its Christian theological purity, as it insisted? Or was it, as some suggested, the result of racism and Islamophobia? “Same God,” directed by Wheaton alumna Linda Midgett, follows the journey of Dr. Hawkins while exploring the polarization taking place within the evangelical community over issues of race, Islam, religious freedom…and Donald Trump. LINDA MIDGETT, DIRECTOR LINDA MIDGETT is an independent documentary filmmaker, TV producer and screenwriter with writing, producing and directing credits on many major networks, including NBC-Universal, The History Channel, A&E, Discovery, PBS, National Geographic and LMN (Lifetime Movie Network). Her work has won numerous awards, including two Emmys. Linda’s documentary credits includes Hometown Stories: The Greek-Americans of Charlotte for PBS, which won a regional Emmy for best cultural documentary; Through My Eyes, a documentary about teens struggling with suicide, depression and eating disorders. Through My Eyes was nominated for a regional Emmy, and was awarded the national Voice Award for excellence in mental health programming; The Line, a film about people living below the poverty line, commissioned by social justice organization Sojourners; and The Stranger, a film on immigration reform commissioned by social justice organization Sojourners; and The Stranger, a film on immigration reform commissioned by the Evangelical Immigration Table.Linda lives in Baton Rouge, LA with her husband, John, and two children. 8:00 pm WARU  TRAILER  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rkbuoc21m5nxrrc/AACdhf7LbLKy5T1IaSvC7tz5adl=0 Synopsis WARU is a feature film made up of eight 10 minute short films each written and directed by Māori women film makers. Duration: 86 minutes Country of Origin: New Zealand Language Spoken: English and Māori Film Festival selections: New Zealand International Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Logline: Following the death of a child, eight Māori women are confronted by guilt, pride and defeat but will ultimately risk everything for the greater good of their community. Short Synopsis: Eight female Māori directors have each contributed a ten minute vignette, presented as a continuous shot in real time, that unfolds around the tangi (funeral) of a small boy (Waru) who died at the hands of his caregiver. The vignettes are all subtly interlinked and each follow one of eight female Māori lead characters during the same moment in time as they come to terms with Waru's death and try to find a way forward in their community. In Māori, waru means 8. WARU VIGNETTES (in order of appearance) Charm: Queen of the kauta (kitchen), Charm learns to accept that she can’t change the world. Written & Directed by - Briar Grace-Smith Lead actress - Tanea Heke Anahera: A teacher struggles to keep face, hiding infidelities and guilt over Waru’s death. Written & Directed by - Casey Kaa Lead actress - Roimata Fox Mihi: A solo parent learns to listen to her children. Written & Directed by - Ainsley Gardiner Lead actress - Ngapaki Moetara Em: A young woman hits rock bottom and realises that the only way is up. Written & Directed by - Katie Wolfe Lead actress - Awhina-Rose Ashby Ranui: A kuia relinquishes Iwi pride in order that her mokopuna might find spiritual peace. Written & Directed by - Renae Maihi Lead actress - Kararaina Rangihau Kiritapu: A young wahine Māori reporter risks everything to set the story straight. Written & Directed by - Chelsea Cohen Lead actress - Maria Walker Mere: A teenage girl draws strength from her ancestors to expose her abuser. Written & Directed by - Paula Jones Lead actress - Acacia Hapi Titty & Bash: A woman risks life to break the cycle of violence. Written by - Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu Directed by - Awanui Simich-Pene Lead actresses - Miriama McDowell & Amber Curreen WARU CREDITS Directed by: Briar Grace-Smith, Casey Kaa, Ainsley Gardiner, Katie Wolfe, Renae Maihi, Chelsea Cohen, Paula Jones, Awanui Simich-Pene. Written by: Briar Grace-Smith, Casey Kaa, Ainsley Gardiner, Katie Wolfe, Renae Maihi, Chelsea Cohen, Paula   May 25th   11:00 11:45 AM MASTER CLASS Antonio Coello From oral tradition to cinematic action: a path to story metamorphosis This master class is intended to introduce the attendants to a methodology to adapt and create screenplays. The participants will acquire tools to structure stories and to administer the conflict within them. The workshop aims to rediscover native storytelling tradition as a primary source for the creation of films that can contribute to the revitalization of indigenous cultures and languages. Includes Creation of the World Runtime 10 minutes Duration: 1.5 hours; Screenplay development SHORTS #1 12 – 1:20 ISLAM IN ESPANOL Trailer https://vimeo.com/331928522 The documentary, "Islam In Espanol", produced by Bilal Morris, addresses the cultural and religious dynamics among Muslims from the indigenous as well as Arab heritage of Latin and Central America who have now become a prominent religious and cultural group in the Islamic faith in the United States.   THE GATHERING CIRCLE Runtime10:17 A short documentary about the Indigenous architects and collaborators behind the new Indigenous public space built in Collingwood, Canada. Director Biography - Tracey Strnad Worth Dying for Bertha Caceras Runtime 25.26 Trailer https://vimeo.com/220826482 Berta Cáceres, Honduras’ most well-known land and environmental campaigner, and winner of the International Goldman Prize for the Environment was brutally murdered in her home over a year ago. More people in Honduras are killed per capita than anywhere else in the world for defending the land and over 80% of cases go unsolved. “Worth Dying For?” explores the aftermath of the murder of Berta Caceres and the extraordinary epidemic of death sweeping land rights activists in Honduras; we interview the Caceres family, carrying on the legacy of Berta and COPINH, Miriam Miranda, leader of the Black Fraternal Organisation of Honduras, (OFRANEH), Juan Jimenez, the head of the new anti-corruption agency MACCIH, and the Human Rights Ministry of the Honduran Government. Nikola Mine WAIMAHA Runtime 30 minutes Trailer https://vimeo.com/259714964 Wai : fish, Maha : people. Both an ethnographic study and an artistic meditation, this film presents the life and rituals of the Waimaha people through their myths. Shot in the Columbian Vaupès, a region which has attracted anthropologists since the 1970s, the film relates three ancestral Amazonian legends told by shamans. It foregrounds the spoken word of learned men and women who keep this culture alive and adapt it to the 21st century. The musicality of their language and their non-linear narration of this culture's thought meld with contemplative tableaux, rendering a double and renewed reality for the spectator. Director Biography François Fleury 1:30-2:35 THE REMEMBERING RUNTIME 01:04:25 Trailer https://vimeo.com/289316453 A group of women, led by a Kontomble Voice Diviner, pilgrimage into Northern Mongolia to heal the wounds created between modernity and our ancestors. Woven together by interviews and dreamlike vignettes, it's a story of grief in being lost and forgotten, and how remembering our sacred relationship with the Little People, we truly can heal the world. Director Emmy WU 2:45-3:50 Shattered Dreams Sex Trafficking in America Runtime 55 minutes Trailer: Trailer: https://vimeo.com/269676418 Synopsis Shattered Dreams is a comprehensive documentary that examines the pervasive, dark underworld of sex trafficking in America. Heart wrenching personal stories from survivors of the illicit sex trade and leading experts reveal how vastly misunderstood and disregarded this important human rights issue has been. As hundreds of thousands of victims’ lives are destroyed by this multi-billion-dollar industry, the complex challenge of targeting the cause of this deeply embedded problem is exposed. Will increased awareness finally drive real solutions to save lives or will we continue to let this underground industry thrive in America? Director Biography - Bill Wisneski 4:00 – 5:30 SHORTS #2 Filmmakers Q &A WARPED Runtime 10:51 Synopsis :In this fast-paced thriller, a resistance soldier in the near future, must travel back in time to prevent a future genocide. Catch is, only his mind can jump through time, not his body, and the teenage host he must take control of is not exactly the ideal candidate. Ctsenmew’sctem re Stsmemelt (Showing the way for the children) Runtime 36:55 From the Front Line Trailer : https://vimeo.com/314553243 Runtime 30 min Every young adult we give a chance to at our Manara center to learn a trade, we are together giving them a chance at a better life no matter where they live. Lighthouse Peace Initiative Corp. (LPI Corp) is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the quality of life for the Syrians and a vulnerable population living in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. Film by Syrian Youth TO PROTECT 7 minutes Synopsis A women is questioned over the spearing of a man. Q &A 5:45 P– 7:45 P SAME GOD SAME GOD Trailer : https://vimeo.com/287471792 SYNOPSIS : In December 2015, the political rhetoric against Muslims was escalating. Dr. Larycia Hawkins, an African-American political science professor at Wheaton College—a prestigious evangelical school outside of Chicago—wanted to show support for Muslim women. She posted a photo of herself in a hijab on Facebook. “I love my Muslim neighbor,” she wrote, “because s/he deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity….we worship the Same God.” Within days, Wheaton’s Provost suspended Dr. Hawkins, eventually moving to terminate her tenure. Were the school’s actions a move to protect its Christian theological purity, as it insisted? Or was it, as some suggested, the result of racism and Islamophobia? “Same God,” directed by Wheaton alumna Linda Midgett, follows the journey of Dr. Hawkins while exploring the polarization taking place within the evangelical community over issues of race, Islam, religious freedom…and Donald Trump. LINDA MIDGETT is an independent documentary filmmaker, TV producer and screenwriter with writing, producing and directing credits on many major networks, including NBC-Universal, The History Channel, A&E, Discovery, PBS, National Geographic and LMN (Lifetime Movie Network). Her work has won numerous awards, including two Emmys. Linda’s documentary credits includes Hometown Stories: The Greek-Americans of Charlotte for PBS, which won a regional Emmy for best cultural documentary; Through My Eyes, a documentary about teens struggling with suicide, depression and eating disorders. Through My Eyes was nominated for a regional Emmy, and was awarded the national Voice Award for excellence in mental health programming; The Line, a film about people living below the poverty line, commissioned by social justice organization Sojourners; and The Stranger, a film on immigration reform commissioned by social justice organization Sojourners; and The Stranger, a film on immigration reform commissioned by the Evangelical Immigration Table.Linda lives in Baton Rouge, LA with her husband, John, and two children. 8:00 PM MASTER CLASS DESCRIPTION PIPER DELLUMS – Drama therapy, Emancipation of the Human Spirit GRATEFUL  SYNOPSIS: When we come from a place of true repentance; When we feel as if we deserve no grace; When we are at our lowest point and find ourselves in our darkest moments; that is when Gods presence, which is always there, manifests in heaven, on earth, in family, and in the care of strangers-Angels unaware. It is then when GRATITUDE changes everything Genre: Music Video Talent- FIRSTAKE WRITER/DIRECTOR: PIPER DELLUMS – PRODUCER/CINEMATOGRAPHER: ULLI BONNEKAMP – EDITOR: REGGIE GASKINS     THE RED BARN   20:45 Writer/ Director/ Producer  Precious "Billie" King Producer: Angelo Perez Logline: Two best friends face a difficult journey when the path they have chosen takes a wrong and possible- Fatal turn. Synopsis: On this fateful day, PK and Rica share one desire—to climb the peach tree that they’ve waited for all season before the other kids can get to it. These two are fruit tree connoisseurs. They are equipped with heavy artillery to accomplish their fruit tree mission, but before they can get started, PK is ordered by her mother to go across the tracks and pick something up from her aunt’s house. Although hesitant to lose out on the peaches, Rica agrees to accompany her. When they decide to take a shortcut in order to get back in a hurry, it turns out to be a deadly mistake.  While resting from the avocado tree climb, PK sees a man drag a little girl into a red barn. She tries to explain to Rica what just happened, but Rica, who didn’t see it, explains it away with a perfectly good explanation for what PK might have seen. They continue traveling deeper south, and when they are almost at their destination, they witness a triple homicide on the train tracks and are now being pursued by the killer. They will have to split up to save their lives. The killer goes after Rica, the slower of the two, and finds her hiding place. He has her trapped in an abandoned car with her staring down the barrel of his gun.  Could the path they have chosen prove to have a wrong and possibly fatal turn? Unfortunately yes for one. PK is awakened by a nightmare of the entire day. Something she had long forgotten due to the stress of her night, she now remembers. The little girl in the red barn. She calls the authorities to report something suspicious. The police go and check it out, catching the man in the act of molesting his niece. PK is unaware that she just saved a life because all she wants to do is climb the peach tree with Rica—the one they’ve waited for all season. And that is exactly what they do.     “UNSPOKEN" | 12 minutes | trailer of “Unspoken,” visit https://vimeo.com/268523028/119fdc8a26 BY director Danae Grandison  short film “In the 12-minute short, “Unspoken,” Grandison brings the conversation of #MeToo to the backyard of her hometown – that is, Kingston, Jamaica. Based on the novel, The Bed Head, by Jennifer Grahame, “Unspoken” explores the lives of characters – that is, Caroline and Icy -- who are bound and burdened by duty. One is a married woman, and part of Jamaica’s affluent society while the other woman is the hired live-in help, expected to oblige her employers’ personal requests. The undertones in the story are about two women connected by living untold truths and heartbreak. Shot in Kingston, Jamaica, “Unspoken” explores the unsaid truths of power, class, and money within a society at large.   The film’s ensemble cast consists of Jamaican born actors, including Kimberly Patterson, most known for her debut breakout lead role in “King of the Dancehall,” starring Nick Cannon. Patterson also portrays Ruby in BET’s “The Family Business.” Rounding out the cast is model-turned-actress Katrina Spencer, making her film debut, and Hector Lincoln (“Law & Order: SVU,” “Orange is the New Black,” and Jamaican TV’s popular series, “Royal Palm Estate”) along with accomplished film and stage actor Jerry Benzwick (“Almost Heaven” and “The First Black Britons”), who also serves as the chairman of Jamaica Rugby Football. MISHANDLED  Directed written by Isabel Hacket  MASTER CLASS DESCRIPTION PIPER DELLUMS – Drama therapy, Emancipation of the Human Spirit GRATEFUL Genre: Music Video Talent- FIRSTAKE WRITER/DIRECTOR: PIPER DELLUMS – PRODUCER/CINEMATOGRAPHER: ULLI BONNEKAMP – EDITOR: REGGIE GASKINS MASTER CLASS  "EMANCIPATION OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT " presenter Piper Dellums . Piper Dellums Piper Dellums is a public and inspirational speaker, host, advocate, author, survivor, and drama, arts and writing therapist specializing in issues of aging, child, domestic and sexual violence, abuse, addiction and trauma. She is the 2018 INSPIRIQUE Circle of Light recipient, along with Oprah Winfrey, for her dedication to victims and women’s rights international advocacy work. She was the Senior Vice President of HMP (Helping Mankind on Purpose, EGTVN Productions and Television DISH network, and the creator, director and producer of 8 original content shows for the ACTS DIVISION of the network, and the Ambassador of Communication for SNTF (Shop now to fund non profits). Piper is the founder of EAG Essential Artist Group Talent Agency, an accomplished writer, producer, inspirational speaker and entertainment executive. HALLE JOHNSON American Idol Alumn Halle Johnson is an American Idol alumn, singer-songwriter and guitarist catering to the genre of Soul Pop. With a noticeable edge and soulful sound, Halle takes an “organic” approach to creating and performing timeless original music. She has rocked iconic stages, including the 2019 ASCAP Expo: Women in Music Showcase, The House of Blues, Sony Pictures Studio, Amplyfi, the Los Angeles Recording Academy, Hotel Café, The Apache, Musicians Institute of Los Angeles, Stompin’ Grounds, and the Grammy Museum. Halle was selected by producer Don Was as a top 10 finalist for the national Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter Contest. In 2018, she was a contestant on American Idol. You can follow her journey on American Idol on the ABC network.   May 26th  10:30 – 11:25 The American South as we Know it Documentary Trailer http://storage.googleapis.com/ff-storage-p01/press_kits/trailers/001/081/618/original/e749ce8b-American_South_as_We_Know_It_Trailer_.mp4GoogleAccessId=GOOG2M4PJ64TEC4POW5U&Signature=0G6Gj1TnkbTj2WWIByQ9CuE4wW0%3D&Expires=1554862710 Runtime 55.43 minutes Synopsis The American South As We Know It explores the lives and experiences of African-Americans during the Jim Crow era. This film depicts a time when racial tension was at its peak. The educators, historians and brave "everyday" people featured in this documentary, express their vested interest in creating a comprehensive narrative of what life was like for African- Americans in the south. Director Biography - Frederick Murphy In 2016, Frederick founded The History Before Us Project (historybeforeus.com) to capture, preserve, and advocate for voices traditionally silenced or unheard. Fredericks training and years of experience as a licensed counselor helps him create a comfortable environment and unique bond of trust with participants of his documentaries. SHORTS #1 Q&A 11:40 – 1:10 SAYEIK Runtime 24.01 A documentary film which discusses the importance of place names (toponyms) in the preservation of Alaska Native languages. The burning of Douglas Indian Village in 1962, and construction of Gastineau Elementary School over Tlingit graves in 1953. Luke Holton MACEHUA Runtime 10 minutes Two dancers express their passion and love for pre-Hispanic dance, a centuries-old tradition that represents the social and spiritual union of the Valtierrilla community in Salamanca, Guanajuato Liliana Baeza Trailer: Mann & Quinn Runtime 9.20 minutes Director Statement Mann & Quinn brought a group of film students together from various countries of the world. We want to continue this unity and promote an ideal world where people can live peacefully together. That everything does happen for a reason and magical moments happen if you just open your eyes. Troy Cruger First Medicine the Long Man Runtime 14.26 Synopsis :Cherokee waters and todays issues with pollution. Joseph Lewis Erb is a computer animator,film producer, educator, language technologist and artist enrolled in the Cherokee Nation. He earned his MFA degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Erb created the first Cherokee animation in the Cherokee language, “The Beginning They Told”. He used his artistic skills to teach Muscogee Creek and Cherokee students how to animate traditional stories. Most of this work is created in the Cherokee Language. He has spent many years working on projects that will expand the use of Cherokee language in technology and the Arts. Erb teaches at University of Missouri teaching Digital Storytelling and Animation. Home Beyond the Water Trailer https://vimeo.com/265214658 Runtime 14.45 minutes Standing in the long grass on the land where he was born, with the sea now lapping just meters away, Chief Albert Naquin remembers Isle de Jean Charles as a wonderful place to grow up. "It's like night and day - we were totally self-sufficient here. Now you have to go off the island to survive," he said of his community in southeast Louisiana - one that is being dispersed by the encroaching waves of the Gulf of Mexico. the 1950s, the small strip of land - once 11 miles (18 km) by 5 miles (8 km) - has lost 98 percent of its mass, according to the U.S. Land Remote Sensing Program. It is linked to the mainland by a road flanked by water on either side. The fear is that the "island", as it is known, could wash away in the next big storm. This is the story of the 'islander's fight to find a new home beyond the water, and they are winning a U.S. Federal resilience grant which may help dreams become a reality. Nicky Milne Wild Whispers New Mexico Runtime 5 minutes A poetry video with Navajo voice-over and American Sign Language that highlights the beauty and resilience of Native Americans despite centuries of oppression and hardship. Sabrina England Q &A Shorts 2 – 70 minutes – Q &A 1:20 – 2:30 Back in the Water House Runtime 14:03 Trailer : https://vimeo.com/316955016 Synopsis: A story about motherhood, Back in the Water House follows mother-daughter artists Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows and Tui Emma Gillies as their relationship is further strengthened by tapa - a Tongan traditional cloth made from the inner bark of a mulberry tree. Director Biography - Pauline Adalid Pauline Adalid is a first-time filmmaker born in Cuyo Island, Palawan, Philippines. She started doing photography and video as a hobby but found greater interest in it when she got involved in film and photography organizations in her University. After finishing a degree in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines last 2016, she decided to pursue a career track that would best suit her goals and interests. Later, she moved to study in New Zealand at South Seas Film and Television School - specializing in Documentary Directing, to learn more about the craft of documentary filmmaking. While at film school, she directed and produced short documentaries of varying length (including Back in the Water House) and worked with the diverse crew. She hopes to broaden her experience in the field of documentary through working in the media and film industry. CHIMBUMBE Runtime 13.08 minutes Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watchv=9J5qTkutyWM Antonio Coello Synopsis ( Comedy ) A mythical love story between a girl and a fish. A cinematic adaptation of a traditional oral tale from San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia. A town declared as "Master Piece of the World's Non-tangible Heritage" by UNESCO. Refugee Voices in Film | Official UNHCR programme 20 MINS I Am Divine (music video) StephAnn Cayetano 2:45 – 4:20 Tiwahe Tour de Ute Fitness Zones. Runtime 10 minutes Synopsis UMUT Tiwahe Film Synopsis The average life expectancy for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe people is only 55 years of age and the median age of their small Tribe in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico is only 26 years. The leading causes of premature death are diabetes, alcoholism, substance abuse, heart disease and suicide. In 2015 the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe held a Native National Partnership retreat with over 40 federal agencies and national partners to find solutions to improve the quality of life and life expectancy for its 2,100 members. Out of that retreat the idea for Tour de Ute – a Journey of Wellness emerged, along with the idea to create hiking and biking trails where members could get healthy on their 600,000 acres of land, as well as connect with their culture, history, native plants, and traditional ways of healing. One of the projects completed this year was the Tour de Ute Fitness Zone project funded by the Colorado Health Foundation. This Tour de Ute film documents how the Tribe engaged Native youth in an Ancestral Lands program in partnership with the National Parks Service and Southwest Conservation Corps to construct the fitness zones and how members are reducing their A1C levels for Type 2 diabetes and getting healthy on their lands. The Boxers of Brule Runtime 39 minutes Devastated by her friend's suicide, young Lakota woman Shaionna forms a girls boxing team in a desperate hope of leading them down a safer path. Though struggling with the same factors that drove her best friend to suicide, Shaionna leads the squad of sassy pre-teens to face the challenges of the reservation with relentless humor and slushy-stained smiles. But patterns of self-sabotage taunt Shaionna all the while. Jessica Adler MASTER CLASS 45 minutes “SUICIDE PREVENTION” DMH LA County Department of Mental Health #5 Dr. Stephen Sideroff author of The Path Mastering the Nine Pillars of Resilience & Success , Yvette Ruben and UTE Mountain UTE. 4:30 – 6:25 CLOSING NIGHT NESHOBA FEATURE DOCUMENTARY WITH Q &A with MICKI DICKOFF Director Runtime 87 minutes Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=cUfNttzqV4U Short Synopsis: Director Biography - Micki Dickoff, Tony Pagano “Neshoba: The Price of Freedom,” tells the story of a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice 40 years after the murders three civil rights workers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, known as the Mississippi Burning murders. Although Klansmen bragged openly about what they did, no one was held accountable until 2005, when the state indicted Baptist preacher Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old notorious racist, and mastermind of the murders. Through exclusive interviews with Killen, intimate interviews with the victims’ families, and candid interviews with black and white Neshoba County Citizens still struggling with their violent, racist past, ”Neshoba” explores whether the prosecution of an 80-year old unrepentant Klansman equals justice and whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth. Director's Bio: Micki Dickoff is an Emmy Award-winning director Micki Dickoff has been an independent filmmaker and social activist for four decades. Her production company, Pro Bono Productions, produces social justice dramatic and documentary films. Her highly acclaimed work has been released theatrically, broadcast on national and international television, and honored at film festivals worldwide. Her films have received outstanding reviews by top critics and many prestigious awards. Micki’s directing, writing and producing credits include documentaries “Neshoba: The Price of Freedom,” about justice and racial healing; “Step By Step” and “Bush’s Deadly Ambition” about the death penalty; and, “Too Little, Too Late,” about AIDS and families for which she won an Emmy. Her dramatic films include “In the Blink of an Eye,” starring Mimi Rogers and Veronica Hamel, about injustice and the power of friendship; and AIDS films “Mother, Mother,” starring Polly Bergen, Piper Laurie, Bess Armstrong and John Dye, and “Our Sons,” starring Julie Andrews, Ann-Margret and Hugh Grant, based on Micki’s documentary, “Too Little, Too Late.” Sunday, May 26th: Screenings, Lifetime Achievement Award and VIP Event 7:00P – 8:00P GARIFUNA FORUM Topic: Health , Economic, political, and social equity in USA, Central America, and CaribbeanPanelist:Egbert Higinio: Belize ,Rony Figuroa: Labuga, Pablo Blanco: Honduras and NicaraguaDr Cadril Gill: Yurumein and Sylvia Sampson Cayetano ,Bill Flores and Leighann Hahn 8:00-8:30 Keynote Patricia Arana BIO  8:30-9:30 Master Class JOSH ARANA  Presenting on Drumming for healing, and Garifuna Oral traditions and Spirituality. Joshua Arana born to Josephine, and Simon Arana. As a child I was always passionate about my drums, I loved my drums so much that it got me in trouble many days, from primary school to high school for playing on the desk. I took this passion and made a career out of it. A career that landed me in over 20 countries all over the world, places like Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland etc. It also influences my scholarship at Galen where I did my Bachelors Degree in Anthropology; it also landed me in the job where I am now as the Coordinator of the Stann Creek House of Culture. 9:30-11:30 AMBASSADOR OF MUSIC AWARDS & CULTURE Tribute to Junior Aranda Steeno Aranda Recording artist son of fame Junior Aranda Music Video Namule Steeno Aranda and Producer Juni Mar Music video BABILON James Love Producer Eugene Medina KAHYLA MARIN Ambassador of Music Billboard recording artist EUGENE MEDINA Music director keyboard for Beres Hammond, Etana ,Sanchez, Luciano , Marsha Griffiths , Producer , Mixer engineer for Sony Records , Atlantic and Capitol Records Iseiri Isanigu Cultural Group Presentation will consist of singing some traditional songs and dancing to the rhythm of the Garifuna drums Iseiri Isanigu Cultural Group’s mission is to preserve the Garifuna culture by means of singing traditional Garifuna songs, dancing to the rhythm of the drums and to sharing our culture with others. The words “Iseiri Isanigu” means “New Generation” in the Garifuna language. As our elders get older it is only fitting that the new generation carries on the traditions that have been laid out for us. We believe that we too can pass on our traditional song and dance to the younger generations. Recent performances include the Annual Belize Independence celebration at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, The annual Garifuna Settlement Day Mass in Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Martin Luther King parade, also performing at the Los Angeles Culture Festival’s Pre New Year’s Eve event “Live on the Green” in Pasadena. Iseiri Isanigu has also performed at several of the Belizean consulate of Los Angeles events and performed at events given by the consul general of S. Vincent of the Grenadines. Help support our quest to share the plight of our most ancient cultures from around the world, disseminate their wisdom and honor their legacy.