VisionMaker Film Festival Features 37 Works by Native American Filmmakers

Lincoln, Neb .: Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT) is proud to announce its biggest celebration yet—the fourth biennial VisionMaker Film Festival. Held September 30 through October 6 in Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney, Nebraska, the Festival will showcase 37 works by Native filmmakers and culminates in the celebration of NAPT’s 35th Anniversary. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 30 with the opening reception at the Van Brunt Visitor’s Center at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s City Campus (313 N. 13th Street).

Friday’s opening reception will honor NAPT’s founding executive director Frank Blythe (Eastern Band of Cherokee/Sisseton–Wahpeton Dakota). Blythe is the 2011 recipient of the Mary Riepma Ross Award. The award pays tribute to an established film or video artist whose roots or artistic concerns are grounded in the Great Plains region and culture.

Throughout the weeklong screenings in Lincoln, six Native filmmakers will be in attendance including: Princella Parker (Omaha) for Standing Bear’s Footsteps, Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho) for his latest work, Christina King (Creek/Seminole/Sac & Fox) for Up Heartbreak Hill, Billy Luther (Navajo/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo) and cast member Josephine Seymour (Laguna Pueblo) for GRAB,

Heather Rae (Cherokee) for Family: The First Circle and Bennie Klain (Navajo) for Columbus Day Legacy. Filmmaker Sande Zeig will participate in an audience Q&A via Skype after the screening of Apache 8 on Saturday, October 1.

The Festival features four special presentations. On Tuesday, September 20, Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater (1340 Webster Street) in Omaha, Neb., will screen Reel Injun at 7 p.m. followed by a Q&A with actor Gary Farmer (Cayuga) and moderator Edouardo Zendejas (Omaha). On Monday, October 3 at NETV (1800 N. 33rd Street) in Lincoln, the Center for Asian American Media’s Stephen Gong will present The West, 1898-1938: Treasures from the American Film Archives. Also on Monday, October 3, at 5 p.m. at the Merryman Performing Arts Center (225 W 22nd Street) in Kearney, Neb., the Nebraska Department of Education and Multicultural Education will host a teacher workshop and screening of Standing Bear’s Footsteps with associate producer Princella Parker (Omaha). On Tuesday, October 4, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Sheldon Museum of Art will be hosting a screening of GRAB at 7 p.m. with filmmaker Billy Luther (Laguna Pueblo) and cast member Josephine Seymour (Laguna Pueblo).

Saturday and Sunday screenings will be social media friendly—encouraging interaction and live Facebook posts and Twitter tweets using hashtag #vmff2011 during the screenings amongst audience members. Also, don’t miss Little Big Shorts on Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, showcasing eight incredible Native short films including the hilarious parody Powwow Driveway in homage to Powwow Highway, as well as works by NAPT’s multimedia fellows.

To find out more about the fourth biennial VisionMaker Film Festival, to purchase tickets and All Access Passes for your group, or to download the full Festival schedule, visit us online at nativetelecom.org/festival or theross.org. Also, be sure to keep current on Festival announcements by following us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/vmfilmfest.

Interested in helping to share Native stories with the world? Become a Friend of NAPT by visiting http://www.friendsofnapt.org.

Thank you to our fourth biennial VisionMaker Film Festival Sponsors for making this event possible!

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Nebraska Humanities Council

Nebraska Arts Council & Nebraska Cultural Endowment

Film Streams

Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center

Sheldon Museum of Art

NET Television

Lincoln Journal Star

Region V Systems

University of Nebraska-Omaha Native American Studies Program

The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel

Creighton University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs

Southeast Community College

Complete Music

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Native American Studies

Indian Center, Inc.

Nebraska Department of Education

Downtown Lincoln Association

Ho Chunk, Inc.

Lincoln 55+ Seniors Paper

Lincoln Arts Council

Focal Point Publishing

Kauffman & Associates, Inc.

Woodlands National Bank

About NAPT

Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT), a non-profit 501(c)(3) which receives major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, shares Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media. Founded in 1977, through various media—public television, public radio and the Internet—NAPT brings awareness of Indian and Alaska Native issues. NAPT operates AIROS Audio, offering downloadable podcasts with Native filmmakers, musicians and Tribal leaders. VisionMaker is the premier source for quality Native American educational and home videos. All aspects of our programs encourage the involvement of young people to learn more about careers in the media—to be the next generation of storytellers. NAPT is located at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. NAPT offers student employment, internships and fellowships.

Reaching the general public and the global market is the ultimate goal for the dissemination of

Native-produced media.