Hello my southwestern friends and folks who will be in Santa Fe through this Sunday, August 19. Please check out the Native Cinema Showcase at the New Mexico History Museum (113 Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, NM) ! I checked out a few films for a chapter I recently submitted on films about Native Americans in sports (Skateboard Nation and Run to the East), but many films in the line up are new to me so please let me know what you thought of them. I’m particularly interested in the sneak preview of The Medicine Game. (I still need to post my impressions of Crooked Arrows, which I watched on opening weekend.) Until next time, for all the runners out there, here is the trailer for Run to the East…
Grab trailer
A few weeks (June 16, 2011 to be exact) ago I had the pleasure to not only see Grab, a documentary I have had my eye on for a few months, but also to experience a first: I actually met the film’s director, Billy Luther. I was somehow already Facebook friends with Billy for a while before I knew about either Grab or his other documentary, Miss Navajo, but it was pretty cool to meet him in person. He was funny, courteous and down to earth – all things that made me feel right at home.
Grab deals with the Laguna Pueblo tradition of throwing gifts – every thing from Ramen noodles to beach balls and handmade pottery – off of traditional homes on one’s saint’s day. People who throw gifts spend a good amount of money and many months purchasing items. And then there is also the food that is prepared for that day. A real celebration which involves what seems like the entire community. The film follows a few families and their different grab day experiences. A few of my favorite parts were the whimsical miniature town made out of grab day materials and also, perhaps surprisingly, one of the families’ reaction to the death of Michael Jackson. It was one of those moments that captures how connected we are, no matter our race or ethnicity or the many other labels that seemingly should (or so they tell us) divide us. And of course, as one audience member so aptly noted, the obvious bond that the Seymour family shared was also very touching.
After watching the film, which I enjoyed, I did have the sense I feel after watching some documentaries, to wit: I wanted more statistics and other information on the people and communities involved (this was mostly prompted by the story of the mother and daughter who grew crops to give away fresh products during their grab day celebration). But then I remembered that during the cocktail party, and unprompted by questions from me, Billy remarked that he didn’t want his film to be didactic; he wanted to focus on making it enjoyable. (This interview with Luther captures some more of his outlook and includes information on the Grab photographic exhibit now on display at the NMAI in New York City through July 31, 2011.) So, I didn’t focus so much on the other details I wanted to know and focused on the feelings I came away with. It was a feel good film about tradition and family and generosity.
After the Q&A was over, Billy announced that audience members would receive grab bags of our own on our way out. As I grabbed the train back home, I noticed another commuter with a grab bag so I smiled and said, “You got one, too!” “Way to bring home a point,” she said, smiling back. She hit the nail on the head. Watching the film and having the opportunity to hear (and meet) Billy and the protagonists alone would have been cool enough. But when Josie Seymour (one of the films protagonists who attended the screening along with her husband) gave away the beautiful piece of pottery she handmade, something she apparently does at all the screenings she attends, and attendees got the grab bag (promotional material inside or not), it really was a multi-sensory way to bring home the importance of giving. And of recycling – I’ve been carrying it around in my purse for weeks and have used it on at least 3 occasions already!
So, try and catch the film – it’s a sweet one and as Billy notes in that interview, very serene. And next time you’re grabbing something, don’t forget a bag for recyling as a way to give back … to Earth. ; )
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