American Indian Film Festival

Last updated
American Indian Film Festival
Location San Francisco, California, U.S.
Founded1975
Festival dateNovember
Website http://www.aifisf.com/

The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated solely to Native American/First Nations films and prepared the way for the 1979 formation of the American Indian Film Institute.

Contents

According to the Institute, [1] the Festival was first presented in Seattle, Washington in 1975 and moved in 1977 to San Francisco, where it remains today. In 1979, the Festival was incorporated.

Over 3,100 films have been screened from Native American/First Nations communities in the U.S. and Canada, and the festival includes events such as film screenings, panel discussions, an awards ceremony and networking events. [2]

This festival is not to be confused by the Native American Film and Video Festival, which was founded in 1979.

Winners

Best Film

YearFilmProducersRef
1987 Loyalties William Johnston and Ronald Lillie
1988 Journey to Spirit Island Bruce D. Clark and Rodger Spero
1989 Powwow Highway Jan Weiringa
1990 Dances With Wolves Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner
1992 Incident at Oglala Arthur Chobanian
1993 Medicine River Barbara Allinson, John Danylkiw and Arvi Liimatainen
1994 Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee Fred Berner
1995 Dance Me Outside Brian Dennis
1996 Grand Avenue Tony To
1998 Smoke Signals Larry Estes
1999Unbowed Lisa Karadjian and Nanci Rossov
2000Backroads Shirley Cheechoo, Phyllis Ellis and Christine K. Walker
2001 The Doe Boy Chris Eyre and Anthony Vozza
2002 Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk and Germaine Wong
2003 Dreamkeeper Ron McLeod and Matthew O'Connor
2004 Edge of America Chris Eyre and Willy Holtzman
2005 Johnny Tootall Cynthia Chapman and Danielle Prohom Olson
2006 Expiration Date John Forsen and Rick Stevenson
2007 Imprint Chris Eyre and Michael Linn
2008 Before Tomorrow Stéphane Rituit
2009 Barking Water Chad Burris
2010A Windigo Tale Armand Garnet Ruffo [3]
2011 Shouting Secrets Josef Ueli Bollag and Korinna Sehringer
2012 Mesnak Reginald Vollant
2013 Maïna Yves Fortin and Karine Martin
2014 Drunktown's Finest Chad Burris and Mateo Frazier
2015 Mekko Chad Burris and Jasper Zweibel
2016 Before the Streets Chloé Leriche
2017 Wind River Elizabeth A. Bell, Peter Berg, Matthew George, Basil Iwanyk and Wayne L. Rogers
2018 Angelique's Isle Amos Adetuyi, Dave Clement, Michelle Derosier and Floyd Kane
2019 Edge of the Knife Jonathan Frantz
2020 Monkey Beach Loretta Todd, Patti Poskitt, Carla Robinson, Fred Fuchs, Matthew O'Connor, Lisa Richardson [4]
2021 Run Woman Run David Conlon, Paula Devonshire, Bruce Fleming, Zoe Leigh Hopkins, Laura Milliken, Paul Moyer, Dan Nanticoke, PJ Thornton [5]
2022 Broken Angel Patti Poskitt, Jules Arita Koostachin, Anne Wheeler [6]

Best Director

YearDirectorFilmRef
2001 Randy Redroad The Doe Boy
2002 Zacharias Kunuk Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
2003 Norma Bailey Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story
2004 Chris Eyre Edge of America
2005 Aaron James Sorensen Hank Williams First Nation
2006 Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn The Journals of Knud Rasmussen
2007 Sterlin Harjo Four Sheets to the Wind
2008 Georgina Lightning Older Than America
2009 Kevin Wilmott The Only Good Indian
2010 Jeremy Torrie A Flesh Offering [3]
2011 Andrew Okpeaha MacLean On the Ice
2012 Jeremy Torrie Path of Souls
2013Alex Smith, Andrew J. Smith Winter in the Blood
2014 Jeff Barnaby Rhymes for Young Ghouls
2015 Chloe Zhao Songs My Brothers Taught Me
2016 Nathan Frankowski Te Ata
2017 Marie Clements The Road Forward
2018 Zoe Leigh Hopkins Kayak to Klemtu
2019 Marie Clements Red Snow
2020 Loretta Todd Monkey Beach [4]
2021 Trevor Mack Portraits from a Fire [5]
2022 Jason Brennan The Inhuman [6]

Best Actor

YearActorFilmRef
2001 James Duval The Doe Boy
2002 Natar Ungalaaq Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
2003 August Schellenberg' Dreamkeeper
2004 George Leach Distant Drumming
2005 Adam Beach Johnny Tootall
2006 Robert A. Guthrie Expiration Date
2007 Cody Lightning Four Sheets to the Wind
2008 Trevor Duplessis In a World Created by a Drunken God
2009 Wes Studi The Only Good Indian
2010John CookOf Mice and Men [3]
2011 Chaske Spencer Shouting Secrets
2012 Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon Mesnak
2013 Chaske Spencer Winter in the Blood
2014 Glen Gould Rhymes for Young Ghouls
2015 Rod Rondeaux Mekko
2016 Gil Birmingham Te Ata
2017 Graham Greene Wind River
2018 Lorne Cardinal Kayak to Klemtu
2019 Tyler York Edge of the Knife
2020 Adam Beach Monkey Beach [4]
2021 Stormee Kipp Sooyii [5]
2022 Samian The Inhuman [6]

Best Actress

YearActressFilmRef
2001 Jeri Arredondo The Doe Boy
2002 Lucy Tulugarjuk Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
2003 Alex Rice Coyote Waits
2004 Tina Keeper Distant Drumming
2005 Stacy Da Silva Hank Williams First Nation
2006 Andrea Menard The Velvet Devil
2007 Tonantzin Carmelo Imprint
2008 Candy Fox Moccasin Flats: Redemption
2009 Casey Camp-Horinek Barking Water
2010 Andrea Menard A Windigo Tale [3]
2011 Michelle St. John Every Emotion Costs
2012 Ève Ringuette Mesnak
2013 Roseanne Supernault Maïna
2014 Cara Gee Empire of Dirt
2015 Ève Ringuette Le Dep
2016 Imajyn Cardinal The Saver
2017 Devery Jacobs The Sun at Midnight
2018 Julia Jones Angelique's Isle
2019 Lake Delisle Rustic Oracle
2020 Grace Dove Monkey Beach [4]
2021 Dakota Ray Hebert Run Woman Run [5]
2022 Sera-Lys McArthur Broken Angel [6]

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References

  1. "American Indian Film Institute Overview and History webpage". Archived from the original on 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  2. "What We Do". American Indian Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2017-04-17. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "35th ANNUAL AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL CLOSES NOVEMBER 13 WITH AMERICAN INDIAN MOTION PICTURE AWARDS SHOW". Isuma TV, November 13, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kelly Townsend, "Monkey Beach, Come True rake in festival awards". Playback , November 10, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Vincent Schilling, "American Indian Film Festival: 126 films, 30 nominees, 6 winners". Indian Country Today , November 7, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "BROKEN ANGEL and POWERLANDS Win Top Awards at 2022 American Indian Film Festival". Vimooz, November 16, 2022.