Across Tribal Skies: AIFI Shorts Now Streaming on Alaska Airline Flights
2020- 2021
Across Tribal Skies
For forty-five years the American Indian Film Festival® has been a "Land Based" platform for Native Filmmakers to Showcase the diverse cultures, values, arts and lifeways of their communities. Starting today, September 1, and running through August 31, 2021, fifteen select Indigenous films of the San Francisco annual festival join Alaska Beyond™ Entertainment as part of its domestic programming.
American Indian Film Festival:
Amásáni (The Grandmother) • 2017 Official Selection • Directed by Stacy Howard • Live Short • 14 minutes • USA • A tender story about a rebellious young girl’s relationship with her traditional Navajo grandmother. Follow on Facebook
Âsônamâtowin: A Sharing of Indigenous Knowledge • 2019 Official Selection • Directed by The Elders Circle at First Nations University of Canada • Documentary Short • 26 minutes • Canada • Filmed in First Nations lands across western Canada, witness the return to traditions and the Elders who are sharing what was once hidden knowledge. Follow on Instagram
Nan Isht Akokpachi (The Gift) • 2017 Nominee for Best Live Short • Directed by Steven Paul Judd • 8 minutes • USA • After returning home from his grandfather’s funeral, a young Native American boy opens a mysterious gift bequeathed to him by his grandfather. Follow on Instagram
No Worries featuring Moni • 2016 Official Selection • Directed by Kahena Cinema • Music Video • 4 minutes • USA • A song about enjoying life and spending time with the people you love. Follow on Instagram
OshKiKiShiKaw: A New Day • 2019 Nominee for Best Documentary Short • Directed by Jules Arita Koostachin • 26 minutes • Canada • 12 year-old twins cut their hair for the very first time in a Cree coming-of-age ceremony. Follow on Instagram
The Owl and the Lemming • 2016 Recipient for Best Animated Short • Directed by Roselynn Akulukjuk • 4 minutes • Canada • In this traditional Inuit story, a young owl catches a lemming to eat. This instructive fable teaches children the value of being clever and humble. Follow on Instagram
Run as One - The Journey of the Front Runners • 2019 Nominee for Best Documentary Short • Directed by Erica Daniels • 19 minutes • Canada • 1967. 10 Indigenous boys ran the Pam Am torch 800 km, from Minneapolis to the opening ceremonies in Winnipeg.
Salmon People • 2019 Official Selection • Directed by Darrell Hillaire, Jon Caroll • Documentary Short • 15 minutes • USA • A story of the interweaving lifeways of Sockeye Salmon Coast Salish Peoples. Follow on Instagram
Sčədadxʷ (Salmon) • 2017 Recipient for Best Animated Short • Directed by Adrian Baker • 5 minutes • USA • Featuring the voice of Nisqually activist Billy Frank Jr. “Salmon” explores its importance to our environment and to our way of life on Turtle Island.
Silla • 2019 Official Selection • Directed by Howard Adler • Documentary Short • 22 minutes • Canada • Cynthia Pitsiulak, Charlotte Qamaniq, and Rise Ashen have created a sonic experiment blending Inuit throat-singing with futuristic dance floor beats. Follow on Instagram
Sweetheart Dancers • 2019 Nominee for Best Documentary Short • Directed by Ben-Alex Dupris • 14 minutes • USA • "Sweetheart Dancers" is about a Two-Spirit couple determined to rewrite the rules, through their participation in a Native American pow wow competition. Follow on Instagram
Turning Tables • 2018 Recipient for Best Documentary Short • Directed by Chrisann Hessing • 17 minutes • Canada • Turning Tables tells the story of Joshua DePerry AKA Classic Roots, an ambitious music producer and DJ from Toronto who is pioneering “Powwow Techno.” Follow on Instagram
Two Brothers • 2019 Nominee for Best Live Short • Directed by Montana Cypress • 11 minutes • USA • As the Seminole Wars comes to an end, a pair of brothers contemplate their next journey as they look over their homeland for the very last time. Follow on Instagram
We featuring Thunderbirds Raised Her • 2018 Recipient for Best Music Video • Directed by The Stylehorse Collective • 4 minutes • USA • "WE" is a powerful anthem inspired by the strength and commitment of the Indigenous Water Protectors who laid it all on the line at Standing Rock. Follow on Instagram
Your Name Isn’t English • 2019 Recipient for Best Live Short • Directed by Tazbah Rose Chavez • 15 minutes • USA • As ride-share drivers struggle to pronounce her name, a Native American woman gives history lessons from the backseat. Follow on Instagram