Film fest avoids anything "Indian-y"

Never To Suffer…On How To Run a Native Film FestivalOne of the primary goals of the First Nations Film and Video Festival is to protect Native American first-voice. For so long the control of Native imagery has been out of the hands of the Native film makers themselves. That contemporary Native perspective that is consistently absent from modern films is tied to Native first-voice. Also, giving a venue to any Native film maker’s voice by simply providing a venue for their works. Seems almost too simple really.

That contemporary Native perspective, away from the beads and feathers of that romanticized past of the “Old Times”, is what the FNFVF wants connect to and promote. To show Native Americans as living, breathing, evolving, and yes, flawed participants of America’s modern society is crucial in cultural preservation. Native Americans never forget who they are. Indeed, most people will never let them forget. But, to not show people who we are now lends to being lost forever, like the ghosts of Alexie’s poem.