Native American Indian Film Festival begins Columbia run
Settle in for a movie – or eight – Wednesday afternoon and evening at Midland Technical College’s Northeast Campus.
The 19th annual Native American Indian Film Festival of the Southeast – sponsored by the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of South Carolina – begins the Columbia portion of its five-day run, screening several films produced by and about Native Americans and other international indigenous peoples.
Films to be shown Wednesday in the Center of Excellence for Technology’s auditorium at Midlands Tech’s Northeast Campus, 151 Powell Road, are:
▪ “By Blood,” a 2015 documentary short chronicling the battles of American Indians of African descent to regain their tribal citizenship, noon-1 p.m.
▪ “Navajo Math Circles,” a 2016 documentary short about Navajo children collaborating with mathematicians around the world, 1-2 p.m.
▪ “The Water Gap: Return to the Homeland,” a 2016 feature-length documentary about Lenape identity, 2-4 p.m.
▪ “North Mountain,” a 2016 thriller highlighting the bond between a young Mi’kmaw hunter and a fugitive ex-con, 4:30-6 p.m.
▪ “Badger Creek,” a 2016 PBS documentary short that follows two years in the lives of three generations of a Pikuni (Blackfeet) family, 6-6:30 p.m.
▪ “Don’t Let the Light In,” a 2015 horror short about a babysitting job and monsters under the bed, 6:30-6:45 p.m.
▪ “Cameron,” a dramatic short about a British loyalist who turns to the Creek Indian Nation for protection when he flees his South Carolina home during the American Revolution, 7-8 p.m.
▪ “Princess Kaiulani,” a 2009 feature drama biopic about a Hawaiian native princess’ attempts to maintain the independence of the islands against American colonization, 8:30-10 p.m.
General admission to the Midlands Tech screenings is $7, or $5 for seniors, students or members of the military. Admission is free for tribal cardholders.
The festival continues Thursday with a screening at The Nickelodeon, and Friday, with three additional films screened at Midlands Tech.
In “The Seventh Fire” – to be screened at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at The Nickelodeon, 1607 Main St. – a gang leader sentenced to prison must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved American Indian community. A question-and-answer session with director Jack Pettibone Riccobono will follow. Tickets are $10 at nickelodeon.org.
Films to be shown Friday in the Center of Excellence for Technology’s auditorium at Midlands Tech’s Northeast Campus are:
▪ “Shiloh,” a documentary short about a female Native American boxer’s journey to compete for a world title, 6-6:30 p.m.
▪ An encore screening of “Cameron,” 7-7:45 p.m.
▪ “Pearl,” a feature-length biopic about Pearl Carter Scott, a Chickasaw aviator, 8-10 p.m.