Native Truths

The tradition of oral storytelling, a cultural cornerstone for many native people, continues through the contemporary medium of film at the sixth annual Denver Indigenous Film & Arts Festival, organized by the Denver-based International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management. “Film is a natural evolution of storytelling because it fits so...

By Rob Fisher

October 8, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

The tradition of oral storytelling, a cultural cornerstone for many native people, continues through the contemporary medium of film at the sixth annual Denver Indigenous Film & Arts Festival, organized by the Denver-based International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management. “Film is a natural evolution of storytelling because it fits so well with oral tradition,” says festival director Jeanne Rubin. “We want a venue for the voice of native filmmakers.”

Linking the past, the present and the future is a theme common to many of the scheduled films. For example, in 4 Wheel War Pony, director Dustin Craig shows how skateboarding, which is often viewed as an urban phenomenon, has become a rite of passage for White Mountain Apache youth. The festival kicks off tonight at 6 p.m. with a free showing of Barking Water at the Ben Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13055 East 17th Avenue in Aurora. The screenings continue for five more nights at venues in and around Denver, including the Museo de las Américas, the Center for Visual Arts and Starz FilmCenter, with the wrap-up on Sunday, October 18, at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. A complete listing of showtimes and ticket prices is available at www.iiirm.org, or call 303-744-9686 for more information
Oct. 13-18, 2009

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.