Cohort of All Indigenous Women Filmmakers Enter 4th World Indigenous Media Lab

SEATTLE, WA -- April 25, 2018 -- Now in its fourth year, the 4th World Indigenous Media Lab is a focal point for emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers, honing their skills through industry master classes and hands on trainings during the Seattle International Film Festival. The Indigenous Media Lab is held over Memorial Day Weekend, May 25 through May 28, 2018. In partnership with Tracy Rector and Longhouse Media, the 4th World is supported by Vision Maker Media, Seattle Public Library, Na'ah Illahee Fund, Bowen Science, 4Culture, SeaDoc, Seed & Spark, NBCUniversal Talent Infusion Programs, and ITVS.

In addition to the Media Lab, SIFF will screen a unique collection of Indigenous feature films for 2018. Although the films are presented throughout the Festival, the majority will screen during the May 25 - May 28 weekend to ensure the 4th World Media Lab community has an opportunity to present at and enjoy these compelling stories during their time at the SIFF Film Center.

Join SIFF and the Seattle Central Library for a special complementary screening of Dawnland, a searing documentary exploring the cultural genocide of Native peoples in the United States and the first government sanctioned truth and reconciliation process. Following the screening, the filmmakers, Indigenous activists and special guests will participate in a robust panel discussion on the role of Indigenous women in social activism. The event will be held at the Seattle Central Library on Saturday, May 26, 2018 with the screening at 1:30 PM and a pre-reception beginning at 1:00 PM.

SIFF is sponsored in part by:
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe
Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund
NBCUniversal Talent Infusion Programs

SIFF 2018's Indigenous feature film lineup includes:

Bee Nation
Director: Lana Šlezic | Canada 2017 | 78 min
Like an Indigenous version of Spellbound, this empowering documentary showcases the determination of six young participants in Canada's inaugural First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee who, with the full support and encouragement of their community, dream of competing in the national championships in Toronto.

Dawnland
Director: Adam Mazo, Ben Pender-Cudlip | USA 2018 | 87 min
Stolen children, racism, devastated families, and cultural genocide encompass this searing documentary about government sanctioned atrocities committed against Native peoples in the United States. The film spotlights in particular the Wabanaki people through a historic truth and reconciliation commission, and their resulting findings.

Luk'Luk'I (US Premiere)
Director: Wayne Wapeemukwa | Canada 2017 | 90 min
Set during the 2010 Olympics, this striking indie narrative-documentary hybrid explores the reality of five marginalized residents living in a depressed Vancouver neighborhood: a sex worker, a heroin addict, a transgender street celebrity, a disabled hockey fan, and an Indigenous man experiencing extraterrestrial visions.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Director: Desiree Akhavan | USA 2018 | 90 min
Chloë Grace Moretz stars in Desiree Akhavan's poignant indie drama about three gay teens who meet at a dubious conversion therapy camp in the 1990s, where they refuse to "pray the gay away" and instead accept themselves for who they are. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Co-stars Forrest Goodluck, an Indigenous actor and past participant in SIFF/Longhouse Media's SuperFly Filmmaking.

Sweet Country
Director: Warwick Thornton | Australia 2017 | 112 min
Set in the majestic Australian outback, director Warwick Thornton's (Samson and Delilah) slow-burn Indigenous Western follows an Aboriginal ranch hand struggling against the bitterly divided frontier society that has forced him to go on the run after a violent act of self-defense.

Waru
Directors: Briar Grace-Smith, Awanui Simich-Pene, Katie Wolfe, Renae Maihi, Casey Kaa, Chelsea Winstanley, Paula Whetu Jones, Ainsley Gardiner | New Zealand 2017 | 88 min
This raw and challenging feature is composed of eight vignettes directed by eight female Maori directors. Presented as single-take shots done in real time, the vignettes focus on eight women as they live their lives beset by poverty, child abuse, guilt, and hopelessness.

Warrior Women (US Premiere)
Directors: Elizabeth A. Castle, Christina D. King | USA 2018 | 67 min
Famed Indigenous and women's rights activist Madonna Thunder Hawk and her daughter Marcella are highlighted in this uplifting yet heart-rendering documentary about an indomitable spirit undeterred by age or government apathy.

"Through Her Indigenous Eyes" - Short Film Package from all female Indigenous filmmakers "Indigenous media adds a new voice to the debate on Native, First Nations, and Indigenous issues," said Tracy Rector M.Ed, Indigenous Media Activist and co-Founder of Longhouse Media. "By sharing the perspectives of an all female slate of directors, we are emphasizing the leadership roles that Indigenous women have held since time immemorial."

After SIFF 2018, the Seattle Art Museum's Double Exposure exhibit will present "Through Her Indigenous Eyes" short film program on July 11th. The exhibit features the work of Edward S Curtis, Marianne Nicholson, Tracy Rector, Will Wilson and will run June 14 through September 9, 2018. In support of the SAM Double Exposure exhibit, select Indigenous Shorts will be presented on Alaska Airlines' SIFF Selects channel during flights this summer in July.

ABOUT LONGHOUSE MEDIA
Since January 2005, the mission of Longhouse Media has been to catalyze Indigenous people and communities to use media as a tool for self-expression, cultural preservation, and social change. They have served 3,000 students, 50+ tribal communities and have made 400+ films, over the past thirteen years, in order to build bridges of understanding between diverse people through media, education and collective gatherings. Longhouse Media has also been in partnership with Seattle International Film Festival for the past 13-years to bring SuperFly Filmmaking, 4th World Media Lab and Indigenous programming to the Pacific Northwest. In addition, their monthly film screening and events project, Indigenous Showcase, is now in its 11th year of community engagement at Northwest Film Forum.
For more information, visit longhousemedia.org.

ABOUT SIFF
Founded in 1976, SIFF creates experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world with the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema, and SIFF Education. Recognized as one of the top film festivals in North America, the Seattle International Film Festival is the longest, most highly attended film festival in the United States, reaching more than 145,000 annually. The 25-day festival is renowned for its wide-ranging and eclectic programming, presenting over 400 features, short films, and documentaries from over 80 countries each year. SIFF Cinema exhibits premiere theatrical engagements, repertory, classic, and revival film showings 363 days a year on five screens at the SIFF Cinema Uptown, SIFF Cinema Egyptian, and SIFF Film Center, reaching more than 175,000 attendees annually. SIFF Education offers educational programs for all audiences serving more than 10,000 students and youth in the community with free programs each year.

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