By Babette Herrmann, Today correspondent

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Last year, Women in Film presented the first Focus on International Short Films, an evening to screen the best short films from around the world.

The focus for this year’s event, “A Night to Celebrate Indigenous Filmmakers of the Americas,” narrows the spotlight to the creative minds of the Western Hemisphere. The directors and production crews of the seven lucky films that were selected will see their labor of love on the silver screen at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 25.

Each film will end with Q-and-A sessions with the filmmakers. Native comedian Mitch Factor, Seminole/Menominee, will serve as the master of ceremonies. His Native brand of humor touches on family, work, children and the Native lifestyle.

Producer Tessa Bell said she assumed the planning of the event shortly after she moved to Los Angeles in July. She learned that the event needed a new producer at one of her first WIF meetings in the area. “I found that my hand was going up as I was debating.”

Despite her reservations, she was nominated to assume the lead. A short filmmaker herself, she knew what to do as far as reviewing film submissions but was worried that being new to Los Angeles may hamper her efforts to round up Native entertainers and artists in a short period of time. On top of that, she had yet to befriend any local indigenous people.

To make the event possible, she drew upon the strengths of her production team and utilized her already well-honed marketing skills. She even garnered the help of three WIF executive members to review each of the more than 40 films submitted. Of the seven selected, the longest screening will last 20 minutes and the shortest, three minutes.

Short films often fail to make it onto the silver screen, and of those that do, a select few usually run the festival circuit or simply find some love online, via YouTube and similar sites. But when premiered at festivals, filmmakers get the opportunity to network with other directors and producers, which may result in the funding for a full-length feature of their short film, or an entirely new project.

“They are calling cards. You really don’t sell a short film anymore,” Bell said.

Submission requirements for the screening were relaxed and simply required that someone on the production team was Native, regardless of gender.

Regardless, all seven films come with indigenous flavor.

In “Conversion,” directed by Nanobah Becker, Christian missionaries visit a family in the remote Navajo desert during the 1950s with catastrophic results and an unpredictable outcome to the story.

“Rojo Red,” directed by Juan Manuel Betancourt, tells the story of how a shoestring leads a boy on a journey to discover the meaning of life.

Director Claudia Mercado honors her grandmother in the short “Lagrimas Del Café.”

“For the Next Seven Generations” director Carol Hart explores the life of 13 indigenous women elders, shamans and medicine women from around the world, and their travels abroad to share their wisdom and time-honored practices.

Dominique Jonard directed “Xani Xepica,” a story about a young Indian boy’s quest to prove himself worthy for his bride.

In the short “Native American Night Before Christmas,” directed by Gary Robinson, an age-old holiday classic takes on a new shape with animation that features the art of renowned Native artist Jesse Hummingbird.

Director Valerie Red-Horse was asked by the Choctaw Nation to make a documentary on the first known code talkers from World War I, and delivers in the short film “Telephone Warriors: The Story of the Choctaw Code Talkers.”

Red-Horse, Cherokee, said that prior to being informed about the code talkers by a Choctaw actor who appeared in her film “Naturally Native,” she had no idea that there were any Native code talkers pre-WWII. After all, she had directed a PBS documentary on Navajo code talkers.

“I said that I would be honored to do it, except that I knew something about WWII, but I knew nothing about WWI because it happened in 1917,” she said. “A part of my journey as a filmmaker was that I learned so much.”

In addition to the selection of films, the evening will showcase visionary artwork from the indigenous and creative minds of Bernie Granados Jr., David Mata and Maritza Alvarez.

The evening also features live performances by the dance ensemble Danza Azteca Cuauhtémoc; the all-women choral ensemble Vox Femina; a performance by Andrea True Joy Fox, Miss Canadian Blackfoot 2008; and the musical stylings of Happy Frejo.

WIF, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1973 to provide female filmmakers with networking opportunities, educational programs, scholarships, film finishing funds and grants, and more.

To purchase tickets, $15 for WIF members and $20 for nonmembers, visit www.itsmyseat.com; to learn more about WIF, visit www.wif.org.

© 1998 - 2008 Indian Country Today.

Posted on October 20th, 2008 by hunwut
Filed under: Events