The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated solely to Native American/First Nations films and prepared the way for the 1979 formation of the American Indian Film Institute.
According to the institute, the Festival was first presented in Seattle, Washington in 1975 and moved in 1977 to San Francisco, where it remains today. In 1979, the Festival was incorporated.
Over 3,100 films have been screened from Native American/First Nations communities in the U.S. and Canada, and the festival includes events such as film screenings, panel discussions, an awards ceremony and networking events.
This festival is not to be confused by the Native American Film and Video Festival, which was founded in 1979.
Winners
Best Film
Year Film Producers Ref 1987 Loyalties William Johnston and Ronald Lillie 1988 Journey to Spirit Island Bruce D. Clark and Rodger Spero 1989 Powwow Highway Jan Weiringa 1990 Dances With Wolves Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner 1992 Incident at Oglala Arthur Chobanian 1993 Medicine River Barbara Allinson, John Danylkiw and Arvi Liimatainen 1994 Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee Fred Berner 1995 Dance Me Outside Brian Dennis 1996 Grand Avenue Tony To 1998 Smoke Signals Larry Estes 1999 Unbowed Lisa Karadjian and Nanci Rossov 2000 Backroads Shirley Cheechoo, Phyllis Ellis and Christine K. Walker 2001 The Doe Boy Chris Eyre and Anthony Vozza 2002 Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk and Germaine Wong 2003 Dreamkeeper Ron McLeod and Matthew O'Connor 2004 Edge of America Chris Eyre and Willy Holtzman 2005 Johnny Tootall Cynthia Chapman and Danielle Prohom Olson 2006 Expiration Date John Forsen and Rick Stevenson 2007 Imprint Chris Eyre and Michael Linn 2008 Before Tomorrow Stéphane Rituit 2009 Barking Water Chad Burris 2010 A Windigo Tale Armand Garnet Ruffo "35th ANNUAL AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL CLOSES NOVEMBER 13 WITH AMERICAN INDIAN MOTION PICTURE AWARDS SHOW" . Isuma TV, November 13, 2010. 2011 Shouting Secrets Josef Ueli Bollag and Korinna Sehringer 2012 Mesnak Reginald Vollant 2013 Maïna Yves Fortin and Karine Martin 2014 Drunktown's Finest Chad Burris and Mateo Frazier 2015 Mekko Chad Burris and Jasper Zweibel 2016 Before the Streets Chloé Leriche 2017 Wind River Elizabeth A. Bell, Peter Berg, Matthew George, Basil Iwanyk and Wayne L. Rogers 2018 Angelique's Isle Amos Adetuyi, Dave Clement, Michelle Derosier and Floyd Kane 2019 Edge of the Knife Jonathan Frantz 2020 Monkey Beach Loretta Todd, Patti Poskitt, Carla Robinson, Fred Fuchs, Matthew O'Connor, Lisa Richardson Kelly Townsend, "Monkey Beach, Come True rake in festival awards" . Playback, November 10, 2020. 2021 Run Woman Run Paula Devonshire, Laura Milliken, PJ Thornton Vincent Schilling, "American Indian Film Festival: 126 films, 30 nominees, 6 winners" . Indian Country Today, November 7, 2021. 2022 Broken Angel Patti Poskitt, Jules Arita Koostachin, Anne Wheeler "BROKEN ANGEL and POWERLANDS Win Top Awards at 2022 American Indian Film Festival" . Vimooz, November 16, 2022.
Best Director
Year Director Film Ref 2001 Randy Redroad The Doe Boy 2002 Zacharias Kunuk Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner 2003 Norma Bailey Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story 2004 Chris Eyre Edge of America 2005 Aaron James Sorensen Hank Williams First Nation 2006 Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn The Journals of Knud Rasmussen 2007 Sterlin Harjo Four Sheets to the Wind 2008 Georgina Lightning Older Than America 2009 Kevin Wilmott The Only Good Indian 2010 Jeremy Torrie A Flesh Offering 2011 Andrew Okpeaha MacLean On the Ice 2012 Jeremy Torrie Path of Souls 2013 Alex Smith, Andrew J. Smith Winter in the Blood 2014 Jeff Barnaby Rhymes for Young Ghouls 2015 Chloé Zhao Songs My Brothers Taught Me 2016 Nathan Frankowski Te Ata 2017 Marie Clements The Road Forward 2018 Zoe Leigh Hopkins Kayak to Klemtu 2019 Marie Clements Red Snow 2020 Loretta Todd Monkey Beach 2021 Trevor Mack Portraits from a Fire 2022 Jason Brennan The Inhuman
Best Actor
Year Actor Film Ref 2001 James Duval The Doe Boy 2002 Natar Ungalaaq Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner 2003 August Schellenberg' Dreamkeeper 2004 George Leach Distant Drumming 2005 Adam Beach Johnny Tootall 2006 Robert A. Guthrie Expiration Date 2007 Cody Lightning Four Sheets to the Wind 2008 Trevor Duplessis In a World Created by a Drunken God 2009 Wes Studi The Only Good Indian 2010 John Cook Of Mice and Men 2011 Chaske Spencer Shouting Secrets 2012 Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon Mesnak 2013 Chaske Spencer Winter in the Blood 2014 Glen Gould Rhymes for Young Ghouls 2015 Rod Rondeaux Mekko 2016 Gil Birmingham Te Ata 2017 Graham Greene Wind River 2018 Lorne Cardinal Kayak to Klemtu 2019 Tyler York Edge of the Knife 2020 Adam Beach Monkey Beach 2021 Stormee Kipp Sooyii 2022 Samian The Inhuman
Best Actress
Year Actress Film Ref 2001 Jeri Arredondo The Doe Boy 2002 Lucy Tulugarjuk Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner 2003 Alex Rice Coyote Waits 2004 Tina Keeper Distant Drumming 2005 Stacy Da Silva Hank Williams First Nation 2006 Andrea Menard The Velvet Devil 2007 Tonantzin Carmelo Imprint 2008 Candy Fox Moccasin Flats: Redemption 2009 Casey Camp-Horinek Barking Water 2010 Andrea Menard A Windigo Tale 2011 Michelle St. John Every Emotion Costs 2012 Ève Ringuette Mesnak 2013 Roseanne Supernault Maïna 2014 Cara Gee Empire of Dirt 2015 Ève Ringuette Le Dep 2016 Imajyn Cardinal The Saver 2017 Devery Jacobs The Sun at Midnight 2018 Julia Jones Angelique's Isle 2019 Lake Delisle Rustic Oracle 2020 Grace Dove Monkey Beach 2021 Dakota Ray Hebert Run Woman Run 2022 Sera-Lys McArthur Broken Angel
References
External links
American Indian Film Institute homepage