15th Annual LA SKINS FEST Festival Guide

Tuesday, November 16

  • Opening Night Reception November 16, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm The 15th Annual LA SKINS FEST opened the week long event with a welcoming in person reception. We celebrated this year’s writer fellows from our many programs, saluted our talented filmmakers and honored our leadership. Partygoers enjoyed the Los Angeles night on our rooftop venue! We kicked off this year’s festival with an incredible celebration... Read more » See Details

Wednesday, November 17

Thursday, November 18

  • Native American Audition Workshop and Actors Panel November 18, 2021 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm The 15th Annual LA SKINS FEST hosts it’s yearly workshop for Native American Actors. This year’s program is virtual and will feature casting directors Rene Hanes, Angelique Midthunder, Sara Isaacson and Amazon casting executive Ashley Banks. They will discuss best practices for auditioning, breaking into the industry and maintaining your career as an actor. Registration... Read more » See Details
  • Native American Women in Animation November 18, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm USC Ray Stark Family Theatre (SCA) 900 W 34th St #108
    Los Angeles, 90089 United States     + Google Map     On Thursday November 18th at 7pm, We are hosting a Native American Women in Animation panel. The panel features Native American women storyboard artists, writers and content creators working on animated television series. This In-Person panel discussion will share the unique point of view of indigenous women working in the animation industry. Date/Time: 7:00 P.M. on... Read more » See Details

Friday, November 19

8P: Opening Night Screening

  • Screening HIStory November 19, 2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm TCL Chinese Theatre #6 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
    Hollywood, 90028     + Google Map     A captivating spoken word piece poetically displaying the historical traumas of Indigenous peoples through the lens of a Native American. See Details
  • Screening TwoBears November 19, 2021 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm TCL Chinese Theatre #6 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
    Hollywood, 90028     + Google Map     Casey TwoBears is a Marine Corps veteran, ex-junkie, and former county inmate. While working as a janitor for a boxing gym, Casey volunteers be the sparring partner for the local “champ” in order to prove his worth as a warrior in the ring, but also to prove himself as the modern warrior that his daughter... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Delivery November 19, 2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm DELIVERY is a genre bending film about a Food Delivery driver, Charlie, who uses his job to fuel his hobby: serial killing. Using his customer base to find his next victim, we follow Charlie through his regular routine of finding and stalking his prey. However, his latest “customer”, Madison, turns out to be a tad... Read more » See Details
  • Screening My First Native American Boyfriend November 19, 2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Johnny is Emily’s first Native American boyfriend, and now that they’ve been dating for a few months, she’s going to take this golden opportunity to apologize for every microaggression she has ever made against Native Americans. See Details
  • Screening Dogwood November 19, 2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm After seeing her aunt come home battered and scared, Rose Home Gun is sent out into the wilds surrounding their small home on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Her task? To collect the bulb of the white camas. Seemingly simple, Rose is unknowingly sent out to collect death camas to be used against her aunt’s abuser.... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Shoot Your Shot November 19, 2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Shoot Your Shot is a sci-fi/action comedy that follows Tover, a teenager on the frontlines battling a future alien invasion. However, it’s not the aliens that terrify Tover. It’s the idea of asking out his crush, fellow soldier Savoy! See Details
  • Screening RKLSS November 19, 2021 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Tank, a natural artist who is always drawing, runs into trouble with the law with his gang of friends. Tank is convicted, jailed, and subjected to solitary confinement and intense brutality. His art allows him to escape his terrible conditions. He discovers his own native spirituality while in jail, and through his art, finds a... Read more » See Details

Saturday, November 20

9A: Youth Program

  • Screening Looking Back and Moving Forward With Music in Our Hearts November 20, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am Students at Sherman Indian High School examine what role music plays in their lives, their history and interview two contemporary Native music groups, The Miracle Dolls and Jessa Calderon who use their music for activism and run music and poetry programs with Sherman students. This video was produced part of the Indigitize Youth Media Arts... Read more » See Details
  • Screening THE TRAIN November 20, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am In the year 3050, the Little One and a group of kids are separated from their parents and sent to live on a train that orbits outer space. There they don’t age and must keep emotionally balanced through dance in order to keep the train fueled up. When the Little One goes missing without a... Read more » See Details

10a: Short Documentaries 1

  • Screening The Strength Of My Spirit November 20, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am An Anishinaabe man’s journey to embracing his identity through the relationship with his hair. See Details
  • Screening The Unforgotten November 20, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am Most Canadians hold their health care system in great reverence. Yet beneath the veneer of respectability lies a dark history that has largely remained untold; that in Canada health service has been used as a tool to buttress racist stereotypes, and repress and assimilate Indigenous people. In five interlocking vignettes that cover the stages of... Read more » See Details
  • Screening The Lake Winnipeg Project- Matheson Island November 20, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am This film shares the story of the Whiteways of Matheson Island, their devotion to a fishing lifestyle and the various challenges they experience, including issues related to health, government policy and the threatened future of the fishing industry. See Details
  • Screening Restoring Néške’emāne November 20, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am Since the 19th century, Native American children were sent to boarding schools designed to “Kill the Indian… Save the Man”, destroying Tribal languages, cultural values, practices, and traditions through assimilation. In Oklahoma, generations of Natives were educated through the Concho Indian School from 1871 to 1984. The abandoned school buildings have remained for 40 years,... Read more » See Details

11:3a: Short Documentaries 2

  • Screening Indian Alley November 20, 2021 @ 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Indian Alley has become an iconic area in Downtown Los Angeles for Native American murals. This short documentary shares the stories and artistic visuals of six Native American artist that are using their art to share the history of American Indians in DTLA skidrow district a area known as Yaangna to the traditional Tongva people. See Details
  • Screening The Long Game November 20, 2021 @ 11:30 am - 1:30 pm The making of the Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation interpretive center. The first historical museum in North Dakota told through the lens and narrative by indigenous people. See Details
  • Screening Archival Odyssey November 20, 2021 @ 11:30 am - 1:30 pm An experimental film that utilizes archival materials to twist the arm of the historical timelines of Pueblo accounts in New Mexico. By changing the point of view with the use of archival materials, this story uses a mix of spoken word, contemporary film and other mediums to illustrate a personal connection to history and the... Read more » See Details

2p: Wellness and Recovery Program

  • Screening Brother, I Cry November 20, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm “Brother, I Cry is a dramatic peek into the life of Jon –- a young First Nations man trapped in a world of addiction and cultural displacement. While living a high-risk lifestyle as a wanted car thief and drug addict, Jon finds himself in trouble with his “friend” Martin, a well-known drug dealer after his sister... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Stardust November 20, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm In July 2020 my older brother Robert died of a Fentanyl overdose. Given the challenges of gathering family together during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, I chronicled the process of creating a memorial blanket to send home to our mom. See Details

4p: Natives In Sports Program

  • Screening Warrior Spirit November 20, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm Warrior Spirit is a feature length documentary film about the first native american UFC champion Nicco Montano. Montano is on a quest to defend her UFC title. The film lifts the veil on the dark world of extreme weight cutting in the UFC and how the multi billion dollar UFC company exploits their fighters for... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Roots Of Lacrosse November 20, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm Many lacrosse players and coaches often don’t know that the origins of the game of lacrosse has it’s roots in North American Indigenous nations.This short documentary provides a brief history of the sacred and cultural aspects of this sport, originally played for the Creator, as well as for the health and welfare of the people.... Read more » See Details

6:30p: Short Documentaries 3

  • Screening Respected by Her People November 20, 2021 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Respected by Her People is a documentary short that explores the political and community roles of women on the New Perce Reservation in Idaho. See Details
  • Screening Ikhaiyana la chi (I Will Remember) November 20, 2021 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Produced by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. “Ikaiyana la chi” tells the unknown stories of the last Choctaw removal to Oklahoma in 1903 by train, the cultural impact it had on the Choctaw people and a certain Oklahoma community. See Details
  • Screening 5420 How the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tackled a Pandemic November 20, 2021 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm As a pandemic swept the globe like never before in the modern world, the Colorado River Indian Tribes Council braced itself while hearing bad news from around the world. Headline after headline told the story of how bad it could get. This short documentary tells the story – for people today and into the far... Read more » See Details

8:30p: Native Women Filmmakers

  • Screening A Winter Love November 20, 2021 @ 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm Blue, a 35 year old, Navajo, singer-songwriter has lost her creative spark to a series of bad relationships and to the harsh Minneapolis winter. But when she meets a younger guy, Eddie, a 25 year-old, Lakota, law school dropout, she feels like she’s regained her edge only to find it slip away from her again... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Chocolate November 20, 2021 @ 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm Grappling with the paralyzing effects of capitalization and colonialism, Ember finds herself struggling with her responsibility to the next seven generations. Raging against confinement and dispossession she finds her uncompromising power within societal imbalance. Poisoning the ever-hungry belly of corporatization, she explores themes of righteousness, balance, and ethics. Symbolizing the imperfections of society and Indigenous... Read more » See Details

Sunday, November 21

9a: Short Documentaries 4

  • Screening Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again November 21, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again shares the powerful story of Mary Two-Axe Earley, who fought for more than two decades to challenge the discrimination against Indigenous women embedded in Canada’s Indian Act and became a key figure in Canada’s women’s rights movement. See Details
  • Screening Evan’s Drum November 21, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am An adventurous young boy and his determined mother share a passion for Inuit drum dancing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Evan’s Drum is a joyful visit to a family’s loving home, and an uplifting story of cultural pride. After generations of silence, the rhythm of the traditional Inuit drum has returned to Labrador, and seven-year-old Evan... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Adrian Sutherland – Politician Man November 21, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am Politician Man, the debut single from Adrian Sutherland, is a protest song for Canada. The seeds were planted in July 2019 when his Cree community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency over contaminated water. At the same moment, insensitive comments from a politician in Ottawa sparked massive public outcry, a spontaneous response from Sutherland... Read more » See Details
  • 3rd Annual Hollywood Pow Wow November 21, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm The LA SKINS FEST held its third Hollywood Pow Wow in front of the iconic Dolby Theater on Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave. The Pow Wow took place Sunday November 21st, 2021 and celebrated throughout the day. The event featured traditional singing, dancing and youth performances from numerous tribes around the country. Check out the... Read more » See Details

10:30a: Native Landscapes

  • Screening However Wide the Sky: Places of Power November 21, 2021 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm The history and spirituality of the Indigenous People of the American Southwest are deeply rooted in the Land. Since the beginning of time, they have been stewards and protectors of their home lands, past and present. These places intimately connect the People and their beliefs to the natural world. No place is ever abandoned, the... Read more » See Details

12p: Short Documentaries 5

  • Screening Into the Circle November 21, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Into the Circle tells the story of a resilient Indigenous family, their journey through life-altering tragedy, and the community that helped them reconnect with their Lakota heritage. See Details
  • Screening ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᏬᏂᏍᎩ ᏚᎾᏙᎥ ᏗᎪᏪᎵ: The Cherokee Speakers Roll November 21, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm The Cherokee language is sacred to our people and unfortunately it’s endangered. How will the next generation ensure the language survives? A book. The Cherokee Speakers Roll is at the heart of language preservation efforts. Learn how it how it’s brought Cherokee language warriors together. See Details
  • Screening Bella’s Story November 21, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm On July 20, 2013 Bella Laboucan-McLean, a bright and beautiful 25-year-old Cree woman plummets to her death from the 31st floor of a downtown Toronto high-rise. Today the mystery of her death remains unsolved. Bella’s Story explores the tragedy, the mystery and the aftermath one Indigenous family endures in their fight for answers, justice and... Read more » See Details

2p: Emerging Filmmakers

  • Screening No. 5 November 21, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm A man who is stuck in a depressive loop is awoken by the spirits of the past. See Details
  • Screening Together November 21, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Somewhere in the city, Mason lures his boyfriend Kelly off his seat to dance, leading them to create a happy memory. Jump forward to present day, Kelly is attending a late AA meeting while Mason is drinking at a party, elsewhere in the city. Mason receives a phone call with some distressing news. Back at... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Chipisala’Cho (See You Later) November 21, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm One night, twin brothers gather over a campfire and reminisce on their childhood and wonder if they made the right decisions in life. See Details
  • Screening Familiar November 21, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm A witch botches a spell that possesses her dog, making her try to undo it before something worse happens. See Details
  • Screening A1-S2: Scene from Hamlet November 21, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Hamlet heads home after learning of his mother’s remarriage. Hamlet is re-imagined as a contemporary crime story, with a full-Native American cast. See Details
  • Screening Wal-aks: Coming Out as 2-Spirit November 21, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Wal-aks Keane talking about their identity as a two-spirit Nisga’a person and leading Nisga’a Cultural Dance Groups. They came out in 2004 and started identifying as two-spirit around 2014/2015. See Details
  • Screening Candyface II – A Rocky Road November 21, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm TCL Chinese Theatre #6 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
    Hollywood, 90028     + Google Map     The long awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed cult classic Candyface. Candyface and her gang of Candypunks rally together to try to defeat the Candyfather in an epic battle for street notoriety. The answer to who is the most powerful Candylord is finally revealed after an ultimate showdown & fight for reign. See Details

5p: Shorts Program 2

  • Screening Disappearing Moon November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Disappearing Moon is a pre-contact short film that follows the journey of Red Cloud, a father who sets out to find his twelve-year-old daughter Morning Star who vanishes without a trace. Along his search he meets Kozano a being from another dimension who might know what happened but only answers in riddles. See Details
  • Screening Stand Up! November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm “Stand Up!” – El Plan de Nuestro “Mural de la Raza” In 1985, Juanita Meza Velasquez organized to paint a 16’ x 82’ Chicano mural on the wall of Payless ShoeSource at 2048 Story Rd, San José, CA 95122 near King and Story Roads. Juanita organized what muralist, José Meza Velasquez would later title “Mural... Read more » See Details
  • Screening The Boys November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm How can we ever know how someone keeps going after a tragedy? That question is in the loving broken heart of this film. Follow this ever brief conversation that is deeper then the actual words between the two woman and their families. set with the landscape of Iqaluit, a conversation at the airport’s baggage carousel... Read more » See Details
  • Screening Seconds – An MMIWG Art Film November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Artist, Safiuchi, draws much needed attention to Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women through this compelling artisan tale. A young indigenous woman is making her way home from a day out, only to be abducted on by strangers in an unmarked van. We can only hope she’s able to find her way out. See Details
  • Screening Red Button November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm A young man struggles to pay attention during a Job interview. See Details
  • Screening Forest Of Cards November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm A protagonist finds a mysterious object in the woods before being confronted by two antagonists seeking the same object and not taking no for an answer. See Details
  • Screening Nalí November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm A student is struggling in college. He is feeling down on his luck. Feels hopeless until he gets a call from his grandfather. See Details
  • Screening Monologue Harmonic November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Monologue Harmonics is a seemingly paradoxical visual and sonic offering speaking in part from legend, despotic visions, collective cultural analysis and individual repeal. Featuring two distinct and intrinsically connected worlds we witness a spiritual journey so thinly tethered to life familiar, being lured by dark matters towards total disconnect. This journey mirrors a reality not... Read more » See Details
  • Screening In Our Own Hands November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm A group of women plan rescue efforts when one of their own goes missing from their reservation. See Details
  • Screening Apocalypse … Then November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm A young man in quarantine holds a prisoner in his basement and questions what is real and what isn’t. See Details
  • Screening 808 November 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm “808” is an emotional rollercoaster of a film which has won the “Best Thriller Short” award in the Marina Del Rey film Festival and Semi-Finalist in both the Burbank International Film Festival and the Colorado Activist Film Festival. The Hawaiian culture, land, and its exploitation resonate throughout the story as Kai, a lonely Hawaiian woman,... Read more » See Details

7p: Indigenous Horror Night

  • Screening Stephen King’s “Grey Matter” November 21, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm A day at the local beer store is thrown for a loop when a young boy tells the shop owners his drunk dad has turned into a cat eating mold monster. See Details
  • Screening The Corruption Of Divine Providence November 21, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Division and discontent roil beneath the surface of the seemingly peaceful bilingual farm community of St-Michel, Manitoba. When the troubled teenager Jeanne Séraphin is nearly killed by mysterious bleeding, the news triggers a frenzy of worship from people looking for a miracle. The Catholic Church, Dakota elders, and an American Pentecostal preacher all vie for... Read more » See Details