M3 Academic Journal Blog: American Indian Film Institute

For my M3 Academic Journal Blog I chose to develop the online resource American Indian Film Institute. The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) is a non-profit organization based out of San Francisco, CA. The AIFI was created around the American Indian Film Festival. The American Indian Film Festival has been organizing a venue for independent native filmmakers to display their prowess since 1975. This past gathering marks 40 consecutive years of the festival providing a means for Native American expression through film. This makes the American Indian Film Festival the world’s longest running exposition of independent Native American/ First Nations filmmakers.

The goals of the AIFI are to bring native voices into focus in mainstream media, advocate authentic representation of first nation peoples in cinema, and develop an appreciation for this genre of film in both native and non-native audiences. The festival provides native filmmakers with workshops, networking opportunities, screenings, panel discussions, and an awards ceremony. The festival has screened over 3,000 native films since 1975. In addition to the festival the AIFI conducts an off-season program in which it tours North America providing training for tribal youth who are interested in getting involved with the film industry.

The perspective that is conveyed by the AIFI is the idea that film is a transformative tool that has the ability to destroy ignorance and bring the different communities closer together through understanding. Cinema that is created by the subjects themselves provide a means of accurate representation that is instrumental in dispelling stereotypes and mitigating prejudice.

I believe that this online resource was included within our course materials to provide a means of further development of our understanding of native culture moving forward. The AIFI has introduced me to independently created native films and filmmakers that I likely would not have come into contact with had I not been involved in this course. A quality source is one that contributes in a meaningful manner to your overall understanding of a topic. For this reason I feel that the American Indian Film Institute is an excellent resource that should be included in the course in future semesters.

I am not certain that this resource has necessarily changed my overall viewpoint of native communities. I have seen many examples (for instance the wonderful film Songs My Brothers Taught Me filmed on location in the Pine Ridge Reservation and starring an all-native Lakota cast) of the depth of artistic capability present within the native community. It came as no surprise that there was a festival championing the accomplishments of these incredibly talented filmmakers. If anything I would say that it strengthened the viewpoint that I already maintained by providing me a plethora of evidence to support it.

Sources:

"About." American Indian Film Institute. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.aifisf.com/about/>.  

"American Indian Film Festival." FilmFreeway. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <https://filmfreeway.com/festival/AIFF>.

"Songs My Brothers Taught Me." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3566788/>.