Please join us on Monday, January 15th in the Wells Library Media Showing Room E174 for our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Film Festival.  This year we will be exploring the Native American Civil Rights Movement and Native American identity by viewing the following films: 


Alcatraz is not an Island (58-minutes) 9-10 a.m.
“In November 1969 a small group of Native American students and urban Indians began the
occupation of Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. Eventually joined by thousands of Native
Americans, they reclaimed ”Indian land” for the first time since the 1880s, forever changing the way
Native American viewed themselves, their culture and their sovereign rights.”


Trudell (78-minutes) 10:30-11:45 p.m.
“Follows the life work of Native American poet/activist John Trudell, chronicling his travels, spoken
word and politics in a poetic and naturally stylized manner. The film combines archival, concert and
interview footage with abstract imagery mirroring the coyote nature of Trudell himself. Includes
interviews with Jackson Browne, Val Kilmer, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Redford,
Sam Shepard and others.”


Homeland (88-minutes) 12-1:30 p.m.
“Filmed against some of America's most spectacular backdrops,... this award-winning film profiles
Native American activists who are fighting to protect Indian lands, preserve their sovereignty and
ensure the cultural survival of their peoples... A moving tribute to the power of grassroots organizing,
Homeland is also a call-to-action against the current dismantling of thirty years of environmental laws.”


The Spirit of Annie Mae (73-minutes) 1:35-2:45 p.m.
“The story of Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, a Canadian Micmac Indian whose murder on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1976 is still unsolved. A tribute from the women who were
closest to her.”


Smoke Signals (89-minutes) 3- 4:30 p.m.
“Story of the journey of two Coeur d'Alene Indian boys from Idaho to Arizona. Victor is the stoic,
handsome son of an alcoholic father who has abandoned his family. Thomas is a gregarious, goofy
young man orphaned as an infant by a fire which Victor's father accidentally started while drunk.
Thomas is a storyteller who makes every effort to connect with the people around him; Victor, in
contrast, uses his quiet demeanor to gain strength and confidence. When Victor's estranged father
dies in Arizona the two young men embark on a journey to recover his ashes. Along the way the two
learn a number of life lessons from each other and those around them.”

For more information, check out our flier!