There are film festivals for nearly every type of media today, from Indian cinema to the recent return of the LALIFF. This Saturday at NYU kicks off the CLACPI Indigenous Film Showcase.
This year’s event will spotlight narrative features and short films with filmmaker Q&As conducted in both English and Spanish. A highlight of this year’s spotlight is the documentary feature 500 Years about the genocide of the Maya people with director Pamela Yates in attendance. There are also plans to honor indigenous female filmmakers with screenings of Sonia’s Dream, Berta Lives, and Indigenous Women and Other Words of Wisdom.
Prior to the Indigenous Film Showcase is Rights to Indigenous Communication: Media for social transformation, a seminar put together by CLACPI alongside Wapikoni Mobile and the Plural+ Festival of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. This seminar is part of the 17th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Speakers at the event include Mariano Estrada, General Coordinator of the Latin American Indigenous Peoples film and Communications Coordination, as well as several filmmakers associated with indigenous media.
Showcases like these are vital towards opening audiences’ minds up to more diverse fields of representation. If you’re fortunate to live near one of these areas it’s worth going to and learning about a culture that’s practically invisible in mainstream cinema.
The Indigenous Film Showcase takes place April 21st from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at NYU while Rights to Indigenous Communication happens April 19th from 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the United Nations Headquarters. You can find out more about the CLACPI Indigenous Film Showcase or Rights to Indigenous Communication at their respective websites.