San Francisco, CA — National American Indian Heritage Month is celebrated every year in the month of November to honor and recognize the original peoples of this land. The first "American Indian Day" was declared by the State of New York in 1916, but a month long recognition of Native Americans was not achieved until 1990. In that year President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as "National American Indian Heritage Month."

The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) hopes to encourage the broader community in recognizing the importance of celebrating National American Heritage Month.

Since 1975, the American Indian Film Festival has displayed over 2000 films providing inspiration and support for Native film projects. The Festival encourages Native/non-Native filmmakers to bring to the broader media culture the Native voices, viewpoints and stories that have been historically excluded from mainstream media; to develop Indian and non-Indian audiences for this work; and to advocate tirelessly for authentic representations of Indians in the media.

Latest News

November 16, 2009 • Press Release: Film Festival Concludes November 14 With Awards Show (.PDF)

November 5, 2009 • Download Film Festival Program (.ZIP - 4.5 MB)

The 34th annual American Indian Film Festival, presented over nine days, will run Nov. 6-11 at the Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema, One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level; and conclude Nov. 12-14 at the Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St. at Bay St. The festival will premiere over 80 new feature films, shorts, public service, music videos and documentaries from US American Indian and Canada First Nation communities.

Some highlights include: Feature Film, The Only Good Indian, starring Wes Studi on Nov. 12; AIFI's Tribal Touring Program, a Native youth film workshop program supported by tribal host partners on Nov. 13; and AIFI’s American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show, which honors filmmakers and actors and showcases contemporary Native American talent, to be held on Saturday, November 14, at the Palace of Fine Arts beginning at 6:00 p.m.

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The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) is a non-profit media arts center founded in 1979 to foster understanding of the culture, traditions and issues of contemporary Native Americans. The American Indian Film Festival is produced by the American Indian Film Institute with the generous support of our sponsors.