Tag Archives: Latin America

feature film, Film Festivals, Film Screening, Q&A, Uncategorized

MAY SUMAK: Quichwa Film Showcase in NYC

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May Sumak / Quichwa Film Showcase: Indigenous Media from the Andes and Beyond is coming to New York City this week (March 26-28, 2015). It’s really great to see that the screenings and discussions will be hosted not only in three boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens), but also by several institutions: the National Museum of the American Indian, New York University, Lehman College of CUNY, and the Queens Museum. Please note that many of the films will be in Kichwa, the Ecuadorean dialect of Quechua, with English subtitles.

documentary

Warriors of the Sun

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Warriors of the Sun is one of the more unique documentaries I’ve seen, not for its subject matter, which is the Totonac ritual of flying dancers, or voladores – men who climb an extremely high pole and propel themselves around it with ropes as an offering to God and a “service to the community.” Like some pow wow dancing and American Indian sports like lacrosse, many activities that may be interpreted as merely recreational have deeper spiritual significance to indigenous peoples. The voladores ritual is actually treated in a more polemical way in the short film Voladora/Flying Woman by Chloe Campero, which follows the emotional journey of a young woman trying to penetrate this all-male establishment. (I did not notice whether the dates of these two films coincided, but I think so. I would be interested in knowing more about the community’s take on the young woman’s efforts.)

No, Warriors of the Sun was intriguing because it lies somewhere between documentary and home movie – and I don’t mean that in a negative way. It is one of the rare movies where a director, in this case Bruce “Pacho” Lane, clearly inserts himself into the movie and establishes his positionality vis-a-vis the Totonac community being filmed. He has had a long relationship with the community, having filmed a previous documentary on the ritual and along the way, becoming godfather to the son of Don Salvador, who takes on the task of reviving the voladores ritual with four young men. Don Salvador takes on the task, “on the condition” that anthropologist Albert L. Wahrhaftig continue research on the topic and that Lane makes another documentary, this time on the process of revitalizing the ritual. Beyond that, Lane makes obvious his close ties to the community by naming not only the protagonists of the film, but also children of his compadres’ family, for example, or brief exchanges that other documentary filmmakers would not think to include. A pretty straight forward treatment of the subject matter, but in a more personal, and therefore interesting, way.

Another unique quality was the somewhat awkward but much appreciated explanation of the English subtitles. Subtitles in yellow font, we clearly read, are for translations from Spanish, while subtitles in white font are for Totonac. This clarification, along with references to the “Americans” and the roles of Lane and Wahrhaftig, signals the various cultures that are in communication in this film. Language is of course especially important since language loss is a concern for many indigenous communities. But beyond that, Lane’s godson makes frequent references to having previously denied his Totonac heritage and seems to be on a quest to regain it in his own life. Some of the more memorable scenes for me are when Lane’s godson and wife visit archaeological ruins and are asked to comment on their ancestors’ accomplishments. It was one of the few times I’ve seen indigenous people pictured next to their cultural heritage like that. Another memorable scene is when a priest (presumably Totanac) gives a homily from the altar and references the voladores ritual and actually names indigenous gods after which the voladores ritually dance around the alter.

This brings me back to the beginning of the film, which is actually introduced by Ivan, a high school student whose dream leads him to ask Don Salvador to teach him to be a volador. This introduction set the stage for the film in terms of its reason for being, its pace, and also reinforced the importance of dreams in indigenous culture.

Several documentaries made by indigenous filmmakers are filmed for community use and not necessarily for external consumption. Warriors of the Sun straddles the line, being both something for the community but also for English speaking audiences. It was enjoyable,  interesting, and even exciting when the young men and Don Salvador took to the skies. I think this documentary would be useful for anthropology classes discussing positionality; those interested in Totonac culture, including the importance of dreams and spirituality; cultural revitalization; intercultural exchanges and possibly, religious syncretism.

documentary, Film Screening

Tejiendo Sabiduria / We Women Warriors

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Last Friday, I saw the premiere of We Women Warriors / Tejiendo Sabiduria at the IFC Center in the Village (NYC). This documentary, by Nicole Karsin, who was on hand for Q&A after the screening, followed three Colombian indigenous activists: Doris (Awá(, Ludis (Kankuamo), and Flor Ilva (Nasa). Their communities are caught between the military, FARC, and paramilitary forces and the attendant violence. Some of them have lost their husbands and are left as single parents, a situation they share with many women in their communities. While the killing of men has left many widows and fatherless children, women as well as children are also direct targets of violence. The film contains graphic content and shows how many people are so easily wrongly accused or framed. As female leaders, these three women are charged with making decisions on sensitive issues that affect their communities. They also work to find more sustainable working conditions. This includes a discussion about the irreconcilable positions of the protagonists of the war on drugs and (indigenous, in this case) farmers who have little alternatives to growing coca.

I often marvel at the footage that documentary filmmakers are able to capture given the risky circumstances they are filming. During the Q&A, I asked Karsin how she navigated the line between wanting to get these women’s (and people’s) stories to a greater audience, but also possibly putting them in danger as a result. Also, does having a film crew on hand help to temper a potentially violent situation? Karsin responded by noting that the Nasa themselves have better video equipment than she does and were on hand filming one of the events which I referred to (that could have taken a violent turn). Although I think that having a foreign filmmaker on hand at that particular event may have made a difference (although she did not, and with her experience, she would know better), the point is well taken that indigenous people are themselves protagonists in the documentation of these events. So, she was not putting them at greater risk than the community itself was taking in also filming. The time invested in documentaries also never ceases to impress me. In response to another moviegoer, Karsin noted that the film took 6 years to make, with varying degrees of time to gain the trust of the three women highlighted in the film, which has not yet been screened in Colombia.

This documentary would be useful for any class dealing with indigenous women in Latin America; the war on drugs and coca production; and the ongoing armed conflict in Colombia.

In signing off, I’d like to thank my cousin Yvonne who attended the film screening with me. I don’t think I gave her enough of an explanation about this film, so I think it was a rude awakening after having our quiet vegan dinner at Cafe Blossom a few blocks away! But she said she was glad to have attended because it’s good to see what’s going on out there in the rest of the world. Which would make a good slogan for a t-shirt for documentaries. And I couldn’t agree more. Until  next time…

 

animation, documentary, Film Screening

Reseña de Huichol Journeys

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>> English <<

Este pasado jueves, asisti la proyección de “Huichol Journeys” en el Museo Nacional del Indígena Americano en la ciudad de Nueva York (NMAI NYC) donde Amalia Córdova, la gerente de programación del Programa Latinoameriacno del Centro de Cine y Video del NMAI, presentó las tres películas sobre el pueblo mexicano Huichol/Wixaritari. 

Yumakwaxa/The Drum Celebration es una animación hecha de arcilla por jóvenes estudiantes wixaritari en su idioma, wixárika, con subtítulos en inglés. La película demuestra cómo se da a cabo esta celebración del tambor. Aunque fue placentero, me pareció que la película se dirigía al pueblo huichol ya que no me recuerdo haber escuchado una clara definición sobre esta celebración. La clausura de la animación me pareció muy divertida  y demostro la creatividad de estos cineastas jóvenes. (Si les gusta animación y la cultura wixaritari/huichol tal vez les gustaría la siguiente animation.)

Flores en el desierto es un documental bello sobre el pueblo wixaritari de San José que emprenden una peregrinación al espacio sagrado llamado Wirikuta para encontrar peyote. Durante la charla que siguió la proyección, un señor que asistió dijo que se había sentido transportado por la película, como si la cámera se había desvanecido. Uno de los organizadores de la noche, Carlos Gutierrez de Cinema Tropical, le contestó indicando que el director de fotografía, Pedro González Rubio (cineasta de Toro Negro y Alamar), suele hacer esto.Los comentarios me sorprendieron un poco porque a pesar de la hermosa cinematografía, estuve muy conciente de la cámera no tanto en un sentido técnico si no mas bien en el sentido en que interpreté a la película, puesto que los miembros de la comunidad preguntaban cómo se debería llamar la película, que se tenía que incluir y tambien decían que la película era para su porvenir. Todos estos detalles me dieron a entender que el cineasta consultó con la comunidad para asegurar que la película compaginaba con su imágen de si mismos. Córdova dijo que los cineastas indígenas latinoamericanos suelen trabajar en colectiva y suelen buscar entrenamiento como en cinematografía despues de haber trabajado en algun proyecto. Algunas partes de Flores en el desierto fueron grabadas por la comunidad. Uno se puede dar cuenta de esto porque en una escena, alguien le está capacitando a una persona. Tambien, hay escenas que se ven mas pequeñas y tienen un color distinto al resto de la película que mas bien parece que fue grabado en los años 70.  Pensé que esto era por el uso de cámera de video o por falta de capacitación pero en realidad estas escenas fueron tambien bonitas y pienso que tal vez fueron hechas a propásito para evocar la idea de la memoria colectiva compartida entre los miembros de la comunidad. Que bueno que Córdova prognostico que no le sorprendería si estos pasos indican la germinación de una colectiva huichol.

El tema principal de Flores en el desierto fue la religión y la espiritualidad. En la película, se ve el sacrifico de un cordero, un toro y un benado que son actos dirigidos a establecer un balance en el mundo huichol.1 En la película se abre la posibilidad de un diálogo sobre la dificultad de practicar la religión indígena dado la dificultad de cazar a benados, que son sagradas para los huichol, en tierras ajenas y tambien el estigma del uso de peyote. Cuando una mujer hace una comparación entre la Biblia y el peyote, dando cuenta que el peyote ayuda al pueblo obtener sabiduría ancestral me recordé de una escena en la película The Border Crossed Us, cuando un jóven tambien compara como son vistas las religiones indígenas y occidentales. En Flores del desierto se ve que los huichol comen el peyote solamente despues de confesarse ya que de otra forma, esta planta les puede hacer mal. La espiritualidad asociada con el sacrificio tambien es manifiesto cuando una esposa dice que ella está en ayunas cuando su esposo caza benado porque ella sabe cuán dificil es el cazar a benados.

El documental In Defense of Wirikuta and the Sierra de Catorce trata sobre una compañía minera canadiense que está operando ilegalmente en Wirikuta, pese a que el gobierno lo ha prohibido desde 1994. Durante la charla, Jennifer Weston (Hunkpapa Lakota) de Cultural Survival dijo que a pedido de los huicholes, Cultural Survival inició  una campaña para protestar a la minería en este espacio sagrado. Las cortes han hecho un mandato para que no sigan la minería.

Otro tema sobresaliente durante la charla fue la revitalización de los idiomas indígenas. Alguien dijo que le gustó escuchar el idioma Wixárika pero se preocupo cuando uno de los niños huichol cantó una canción entera en español porque tal vez indica que está perdiendo su idioma ancestral. La respuesta de Córdova dio a lucir los matices de este tema puesto que aunque la pérdida de los idiomas indígenas es real, al mismo tiempo algunos pueblos indígenas pasan dificultades por no saber o no tener oportunidades de aprender el español. Gutierrez fue optimista sobre el futuro de la revitalización de los idiomas indígenas despues de un paseo a México donde vio varios comerciales para las elecciones que están a pundo de darse en varios idiomas indígenas. Weston dijo que en México, las cortes proveen interpretadores en 18 idiomas indígenas! Otra persona en la audiencia que trabaja con junventud mixteca y de otros pueblos mexicanos que han inmigrado al Bronx dijo que estos niños atraviesan la dificultad de aprender dos idiomas colonizadores: el español para poder hablar con sus compatriotas mexicanos y el inglés para poder existir en los EEUU. Este proceso tambien a complicado cómo ellos se identifican . Tanto Hortensia Colorado of Coatlicue Theater Company (quien reconocí por un evento que organizé en 1997) como Weston dijeron que muchos pierden su idioma por la vergüenza que les han hecho sentir por hablar su idioma y han tenido que aprender sus idiomas nuevamente. Weston aconsejó al hombre del Bronx que incentiva a los jóvenes que vivan sus culturas a través de sus idiomas y no solamente como traducciones del inglés. Esta charla nos quedó al pelo ya que el NMAI NYC va a proyeccionar películas sobre idiomas indígenas el 31 de mayo y el 1ro de junio (no veo información sobre las películas ahorita pero en cuanto las vea, les he de avisar).

(Por otro lado, en la charla me enteré de otras películas que pueden ser de interés: una rarámuri llamada Cochochi  y otra maori llamada Boy de Nueva Zelandia, que acaban de mencionar en el New York Times.)

Flowers of the Desert director José Alvarez’s new award-winning documentary entitled Canícula about the Totonac people.

Huichol Journeys Recap

On Thursday, I attended the NMAI NYC’s Huichol Journeys screening which featured three films by and about the Huichol/Wixaritari.  Amalia Córdova, Latin American Program Manager at the Film and Video Center of the NMAI, presented the films.

Yumakwaxa/The Drum Celebration is a claymation made by young Wixaritari students in their native language, Wixárika, with English subtitles. The film documents how this celebration is carried out. While anyone can enjoy the animation, it seemed possibly geared toward Huichol viewers since I don’t remember the purpose of the celebration being clearly described. And although the animation was very nicely done, I was even more impressed by the humor and sophistication the students displayed during the animation’s closing credits. (If you are interested in animation and Wixaritari/Huichol culture, you may also enjoy this animation I posted a while back which I appreciated even more after the benefit of having watched the three films screened on Thursday.)

Flores en el desierto (Flowers of the Desert) is a beautifully shot documentary about the Wixaritari of the town of San José who make a pilgrimage to the sacred space called Wirikuta in order to hunt for peyote. During the Q&A discussion after the film, one audience member commented that he felt  transported into the film, as if the camera had disappeared. One of the screening organizers, Carlos Gutierrez of Cinema Tropical, responded by praising the film’s director of photography, Pedro González Rubio (who directed the films Toro Negro and Alamar), who has a real talent for allowing the viewer to feel like an insider. This discussion was interesting to me because, although I, too, felt transported by the beautiful cinematography, I was also very conscious of the camera. I was mostly conscious of it not on a technical level, but on an interpretive one. At several points in the film, community members ask what the film should be called, what should be included in it, and they also note that the film is for their children – all indicating that they were actively consulted on how they were portrayed. Noting that indigenous Latin American filmmakers tend to work as collectives and that they seek training after actual experiences working on a film set, Córdova noted that a Huichol collective may not be far off. That said, certain sequences in the film are clearly shot by the community members. I say “clearly” because you hear them being instructed in how to record footage and the footage itself is shot in a different size frame and in a grainy way with a color scheme that is reminiscent of 1970s photography. At first I thought this may have been due to the use of a video camera or lack of training, but these shots were beautiful in their own way, and possibly used to evoke shared memory among the community members.

The film’s main theme was Huichol religion and spirituality. Flowers in the Desert included animal sacrifice and explained how it is used to establish balance in the Huichol world (a lamb, bull, and deer are sacrificed in this movie).1 The hunt for peyote and deer in particular, which are sacred to the Huichol, was contextualized by noting the complications which the community encounters as a result of hunting in other people’s property and their use of rifles and peyote. I was reminded of a scene in The Border Crossed Us, when a young man makes a strong comparison between how native and western religions are perceived, when a woman compares peyote to the bible, noting that eating it helps the Huichol gain wisdom and learn about their history. In fact, community members must confess before eating it because it may make them sick otherwise. And, a wife notes that she fasts while her husband hunts deer as a sacrifice because she knows the difficulty involved in the hunt.

The activist documentary In Defense of Wirikuta and the Sierra de Catorce deals with a Canadian mining company that is trespassing into Wirikuta despite the fact that the government has officially protected it since 1994. During the Q&A, Jennifer Weston (Hunkpapa Lakota) of Cultural Survival said that  at the Huichol’s request, Cultural Survival initated a Global Response Campaign Alert so that the public could protest the mining and ask that this sacred space be protected. There is currently a court injunction against the mining.

Another strong theme during the Q&A was the revitalization of native languages. One audience member noted that she was pleased to be able to hear the Wixárika language spoken but concerned that one of the Huichol children sang an entire song in Spanish might indicate a loss of native language. Córdova provided the necessary context and nuance in her reply, indicating that while loss of native language fluency is an issue, there are also areas where indigenous people feel disenfranchised by not knowing or being able to learn Spanish, which allows them to get by in the world. Commenting on the future of native languages, Gutierrez noted with optimism that last week in Mexico, he saw television ads in several different native languages. Weston noted that in Mexico, court interpretation is provided in 18 different languages. Another audience member who works with Mixtec children as well as children from other Mexican indigenous communities who currently live in the Bronx said that these children experience the added difficulty of having to learn two colonial languages: Spanish in order to communicate with fellow Mexicans and then English to exist here in the U.S. This process has led to difficulty with self identification. Both Hortensia Colorado of Coatlicue Theater Company (who I recognized in the audience from an event I put together way back in 1997) and Weston noted that many people lose their language as a result of the historical shame they were made to feel when speaking their native tongue and have later had to re-learn it. Weston’s advice to the man from the Bronx was that he encourage the children to live their cultures through their languages and not via translation from English. This discussion on language was very timely as the NMAI in NYC will host several language-related screenings on May 31 and June 1 (I don’t see them on their calendar but when I do, I will post the information here)..

(On a side note, I also learned about other films and events that I look forward to checking out: one is the Rarámuri film Cochochi and the other is the Maori film Boy from New Zealand, recently reviewed in the New York Times.)

1 Cuando Córdova nos avisó que veríamos sacrificios de animales, me puse a pensar en la delicadez de conversar sobre los temas de religión, cultura y los derechos animales especialmente cuando se trata de etnias minoritarias que han perdido tanto durante el proceso traumatizante de la colonialización. / This is somewhat off topic, but when Córdova let the audience know that the film contained animal sacrifice, I started to think of the complexity of commenting on the intersecting issues of religion, culture and animal rights, especially in regard to ethnic minorities which have already been made to lose so much as a result of colonization.

animation, documentary, Film Screening

Huichol Journeys at NMAI NYC 3/29 & 3/31

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Tomorrow and Saturday, the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City will host a film screening called Huichol Journeys, which will include two documentaries and an animation about the Huichol, or Wixaritari of Mexico. Thursday’s screenings will be followed by a discussion with Carlos Gutiérrez of CinemaTropical and Jennifer Weston of Cultural Survival. The NMAI in NYC is located at 1 Bowling Green  New York, NY 10004. Admission is free!

documentary, Film Festivals

February & March 2012 Film Festivals

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Just a quick note to let you know about two film festivals you may want to check out. The first ever PBS Online Film Festival will include a few films produced by the Native American Publication Telecommunication (NAPT), including I Survived, The Migration, and Horse You See. And, for those of you near Palm Springs, check out the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum’s 2012 Festival of Native Film and Culture which will include Smokin’ Fish. Their website lists the program, but you can also read more about the festival here. Let me know what you think!

distributors

Theeere she is!

Whenever she sees me, a co-worker of mine greets me with a great big smile and a “Theeere she is!” She’s disarmed many a fellow co-worker with these words because it’s becoming part of our vocabularies. Exhibit A: The other day I heard another co-worker pass by her and beat her to it. So I chuckled as I was leaving the opening night screening of the Native American Film and Video Festival and realized it had become part of mine as well.

As I was leaving the opening night screening, I passed by a table and saw a familiar face staring back at me. It was Zulay Saravino, the protagonist of a documentary made in 1989 entitled “Zulay Facing the 21st Century.” I remember this film well because Roselly Torres Rojas, who then worked at the Latin American Video Archives (LAVA), the only distributor at the time, helped me edit clips from it (and other films) when I presented a paper on Latin American indigenous film back in 2004 and I also analyzed it in some papers in grad school. I liked it so much that I bought a VHS copy for Lehman College’s Leonard Lief Library when I was the Latin American Studies librarian there. I was saddened when LAVA closed in part because, without a distributor, I knew many would miss out on seeing this treasure. But, that night, as I passed by the table, I smiled and said to myself, “Theeeere she is!” – right on the cover of the Documentary Educational Resources (DER) catalog! As I leafed through it, I noticed the DER also distributes a few other titles from Latin America, including one that screened at the Margaret Mead Festival last year: “Secrets of the Tribe” (which I hope to check out on Netflix soon). So, if you are interested in building your library’s collection, check DER out.

soap opera

La Taxista

    Introduction to Ecuadorian soap opera La taxista.

Thanks to a recent tweet by Sacha Rosero of OtavalosOnline.com, I read an article about a new Ecuadorian soap opera called La taxista.1 The soap opera’s protagonist, Rosita Tituaña, is supposed to depict an Indian from Imbabura province who has migrated to the coastal city of Guayaquil. The show’s critics explain that it reproduces stereotypes about Indians being unable to speak correctly when in fact, Otavalos are well known as world travelers and polyglots. An indigenous professor notes that the show’s producers did not even bother to accurately portray native dress since Rosita wears a mixture of elements from the dress styles of native women from Otavalo and Chimborazo. The show’s librettist, however, argues that La taxista endeavors to show that Indians don’t have to change their ways in order to succeed in life. Ecuadorian actor Alberto Cuesta agreed with critics and made an interesting point: afro-Ecuadorians, women and gays have also been subjected to this type of treatment in Ecuadorian media.

After watching a recent cast interview (see up to 0:34 and 9:18 to the end in particular) and part of the second episode, it seems to me that the show’s creators have never traveled to Imbabura province or ever spoken to any Otavalos. First, Rosita’s style of dress is indeed inaccurate. This may seem like a superficial critique but it’s a manifestation of the fact that little research was done into the culture being portrayed. I have seen women from other provinces who migrate to Quito wearing a mixture of western and native dress. However, when women from Imbabura mix elements of western and native dress, it doesn’t look the way Rosita is portrayed in the intro clip. Second, the writer’s assertion that an Indian should not have to change left me at a loss as to what the show’s conception of an Indian is. Is the essence of an Indian to be innocent? To speak incorrectly? To play to folklorization of Indian culture by breaking out into dance in an Indian costume? It seems that whoever was responsible for molding Rosita’s character has conflated being ignorant and unsophisticated with being Indian. Being Indian is different things for different people but I think it has more to do with practicing and having pride and respect for native culture – something one can do while dressing in western clothes, while speaking French, or while speaking standard Ecuadorian Spanish, for that matter. I have nothing against dialects; I tend to sing like a Cuencana when I speak Spanish. But, Rosita doesn’t even speak in Imbabura dialect! And even if she did, she could do it more genuinely. The exaggerated manner in which she speaks is played for cheap laughs and it gets tired pretty quickly. Besides leaning towards insensitivity, it also results in bad acting.

It is sad that some people may watch this show and engage in ignorant jokes at Indians’ expense.2 And I suppose I should feel offended by the show. But I don’t. I shook my head as I watched the clips above, alright. But, at the same time, I know Rosita is not a reflection of who Indians really are. Instead of feeling offended for Indians, I feel embarassed for the show’s creators because it is more of a manifestation of their ignorance and how far they need to go to bring genuine and meaningful portrayals of Indians to the media.

If I had Ecuavisa, I’d probably tune in just to dissect these stereotypes some more. So, it might be worth it to examine this aspect of it for a class. But otherwise, and unless they start taking these things into consideration, it seems like I’d probably do like Rosita sings in her intro: hightail it outta there “hecho una bala.” Silly song is catchy.

P.S. But wouldn’t it be something if the show’s creators took critics’ comments to heart and came back with television we can all be proud of?

1. Redacción Sierra Centro. “La taxista incomoda en Imbabura.” El Comercio 15 de agosto 2010.

2 See Muenala, Germán. “La taxista.” El Diario del Norte. 8 de agosto 2010.

documentary

The Plymouth Rock of the South

The title of Rachel Nez’s 2005 documentary, The Border Crossed Us, is the phrase used in chants and on signs at immigration rallies. Given that Native Americans were here before any other group in the U.S. or Mexico, this poignant phrase was never more true. I’ve added this clip here because the phrase always reminds me of the similar African American immigration experience, as expressed by Malcolm X’s when he noted, “We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock. The Rock was landed on us.”

Amid the dominant national voices surrounding the immigration debate, you may have missed that of the Native American groups affected by border policies. In the past few months, Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 has caused renewed interest and ire surrounding this issue. However, many groups, like the Tohono O’odhman of Arizona and the Sonora Desert region of Mexico, have had to endure the injustice of immigration policies for many, many years. In the 2005 documentary The Border Crossed Us, Navajo filmmaker Rachel Nez explores Tohono O’odham efforts to change laws that hinder many of the (particularly older) tribal members who do not have paperwork to travel freely between the U.S. and Mexico. In order to do so, they must prove that they are indeed U.S. citizens or, in the case of Tohono O’odham Mexicans, have documentation to visit the U.S. The Tohono O’odham have not traditionally used documentation to prove their citizenship and therefore cannot prove their status. Therefore, in many cases, relatives across the border cannot visit with each other or practice traditional rituals and customs.

The documentary is short but useful for anyone discussing immigration issues as they relate to Native peoples as well as how native religion and customs are viewed by outsiders. In one especially moving moment in the film, a young man discusses how disrespectful border agents are when going through his grandfather’s religious objects. The young man asks how we would feel if someone started rifling through the Pope’s items. Although this did not have to do with immigration per se, I thought the young man’s succinct questioning would be a great starting point for a classroom discussion on respecting other groups’ value systems and ways. This part made the film especially memorable to me.

When I first saw this film at the NMAI Native American Film Festival in New York City back in (I believe) 2007, I asked Ms. Nez about the status of the bill discussed in the film (yes, I actually did stand up for Q&A for once). She said that it was too soon to tell. A few years later, I see that the Tohono O’odham continue to fight against these policies, including recently leading a contingent against S.B. 1070 March.

documentary, News

Chevron Demands Crude Footage

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I had not considered the ways that socially committed films might put directors and other collaborators at risk but I recently read about Chevron demanding that director Joe Berlinger hand over footage of his documentary, Crude, which I wrote about back in August 2009. For more information, see the articles below.

Carroll, Rory. “Chevron oil demands Crude filmmaker hand over unseen footage.” The Guardian. April 29, 2010.

Merin, Jennifer. “Joe Berlinger Update: In Court Over Crude, On Assignment for Oprah Winfrey.” About.com Guide to Documentaries April 26, 2010.