WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Aug. 15–18 for its Native Cinema Showcase. The museum’s 24th annual celebration of the best in Indigenous film includes 38 films this year. The showcase provides an unparalleled forum for engagement with Native filmmakers from Indigenous communities throughout the Western Hemisphere and Arctic. This year’s program begins with a panel discussion featuring Indigenous film luminaries Graham Greene (Oneida), Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis/Nakota), Gary Farmer (Cayuga) and Wes Studi (Cherokee), moderated by Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo). All screenings and events will take place at the New Mexico History Museum; seating is first come, first served.

In addition to the screenings, the museum will host a special performance Saturday, Aug. 17. The event will include music video screenings and music by DJ Shub (Mohawk). Other special appearances include post-screening discussions with directors Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw), Leya Hale (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota/Diné), Mariah Hernandez-Fitch (Houma), Tasha Hubbard (Plains Cree) and producer Jason Ryle (Anishinaabe).

All events associated with National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Cinema Showcase are free and open to the public.

This year’s program includes 38 films (34 shorts, four features) representing 34 Native nations in eight countries: U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Finland. There are seven Indigenous languages spoken in the films. Genres include documentaries, music videos, kid-friendly shorts, films in Indigenous languages and more. This program is funded in part by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and received support from the Smithsonian initiative Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past.