2024 LASF FILM GUIDE

A

• Adziil Nicole, a Diné computer technician, spends her days working in her small work cubicle. Constantly overworked, she yearns for a chance to break out of her walls of responsibilities. During her lunch break, Nicole grabs her meal, but chooses to instead nap before heading back... See Details
• Americano When you have nowhere left to go and your own mother has decided to leave you behind, but having just built some momentum to finally swing your way creating the need to stay and continue your work, this forces you to do things you’ve never done before. We... See Details
• Angela’s Shadow The shadow figure continues to plague Angela, forcing Mary to reveal the truth: Angela is Mary’s niece, and the shadow figure is the spirit of Angela’s twin sister, AASHENII. As the darker-skinned twin, AaSheNii couldn’t escape residential school the way Angela did. It was only... See Details
• Anywhere (Nooj Goji) George lives a quiet life with his Gokmis on reserve. His girlfriend, Eileen, lives alone in the big citydown south. Facing alienation, isolation, and a society of lovelessness, George chooses instead to love radically – at times through impossible means. See Details

B

• Babe A young man forms an inseparable bond with his car. Over a decade of adventures and pivotal life events, he faces the bittersweet moment of parting ways with his cherished “friend,” reflecting on the memories that defined an era. See Details
• Bad Indian: the Josh Emerson Story Josh Emerson (Dine’ Navajo) travels from Denver to Los Angeles to produce the first all Native line up for Netflix is a Joke festival, spreading his dead mom’s ashes along the way. See Details
• The Band Shandiin “Stadium Walk” Small time Indigenous band “The Band Shandiin” prepare for their first and biggest stadium concert. Sundance ponders on the bands difficult journey and how they got there. See Details
• The Basket Lady In the Pacific Northwest, the Coast Salish people tell stories of the Basket Lady, a dark figure lurking in the forest undergrowth. She watches silently, with pitch in hand to blind her prey, and a large cedar basket to swiftly carry away disobedient children.  Will and... See Details
• The Bear Dance Native Ute Mountain Ute kids produced a film that describes the Bear Dance and its origins and meanings. See Details
• Be Good Lady When a couple walks their newly adopted rescue dog, Lady, they hope she will be a good girl. Chuck, a native comedian, and his longtime girlfriend, Hillary, continue to build their relationship by inviting a pet into their lives. Their walks with Lady are relatively normal until they... See Details

C

• Cheating Ain’t Easy A college student rushes to study hall prior to the big test. With nobody available to help, she uncovers an ominous study guide that might hold the answers she’s been looking for. See Details
• Chums A rag tag group of furry friends on Turtle Island are discovering their relationship with the animals and their environment on Mother Earth See Details
• Cleaning’s a Cakewalk (Navajo Language Short) An imaginative and independent young boy, Albert, learns the value of hard work and finds his place in his community after having to clean the Chapter House which he finds out is no cake-walk in the park. See Details
• The Comedian! A stand-up comedian performs in the strangest venues around town: closets and laundry rooms within a house. When the opportunity comes to take his talents to a bigger stage, The Comedian discovers there’s a steep price to pay for fame, as his entire being is... See Details
• Come Together Inspired by the 1978 documentary “Omai Fa’atasi: Samoa Mo Samoa,” a teenage girl growing up in a strict Samoan household lives the same day everyday cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her siblings until she joins a community organization that helps her realize her full... See Details
• Cut Knife Creek Más Mik’áátùní Tsisgò, is a language preservation project that was produced by three organizations, the Tsuut’ina Gunaha, Making Treaty seven, and the Quickdraw Animation Society. It tells the story of the Battle of Cut Knife Creek, a story that has been told by both the... See Details

D

• Datrin (Raven) A Gwich’in elder in Canada’s far North dreams of the last remaining Datrin ( Raven ). Who would you talk to if you were the last speaker of your language? See Details

E

• Endangered Language An exploration of the language of the Southern Sierra Miwuk people of the Yosemite National Park region and how the preservation and resiliency of language is intrinsically tied to enduring place names, stories, arts and culture ofthe Miwuk people. See Details

F

• The Family Siblings must learn to lean on each other in the absence of parents. See Details
• First Voice A 9-1-1 dispatcher working from home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic must use his knowledge of the supernatural and traditional medicine to save a group of people and first responders who are trapped in a house with a malevolent spirit. See Details
• Flying Bird’s Diary In the early 20th century, Flying Bird is the keeper of the Mohegan language and its interconnecteway of seeing the world. After her passing, a white anthropologist’s efforts to salvage her work go awry, and her young Mohegan mentee must find a way to secure the... See Details
• Forest Echoes A love story set against the backdrop of the climate crisis and the opioid epidemic, Forest Echoes follows Echo and Wild, two urban Indigenous land defenders. On the one-year anniversary of their arrest on the front lines, a death in their community opens old wounds... See Details

G

• Ghosts in the Blood A modern-day genetics professor struggles personally and professionally when, while conducting an experiment, he inadvertently stumbles across a quantum connection with his ancestors. See Details
• The Great Cherokee Grandmother A pleasant date between a man of Cherokee heritage and a Caucasian woman goes downhill when the woman flagrantly fixates on the very bane of Cherokee peoples’ existence: the Cherokee Grandmother syndrome. See Details
• Grow With Me An old hound dog who likes to invent things, and an old cat who likes to garden, are happily married and live together. But when the cat goes blind and can’t garden, the hound dog tries to invent things to help her garden again. See Details

H

• HAAGUA “Haagua” depicts the timeless connection between Grandmother Ocean and her children – speaking from the past and praying into the future. Birthed and sprung from water, a timeless memory of survival thrusts us forward to a current time. To thrive, surfing. More than a sport,... See Details
• Hasta la Raíz “Hasta la Raíz” is a historical drama set in 1856 in the greater Los Angeles basin. Cecilia, a Tongva woman, is a servant at a Mexican rancho alongside her daughter. She is entrusted by her community to organize the legality of a land return promise... See Details
• Hell Throne – King of Death In the shadows of his pulpit, Pastor Leyton Thompson leads a double life, using his charm and title to seduce vulnerable women. His next target is Grace, a seemingly innocent parishioner. But as Leyton’s dark obsession grows, Grace reveals a hidden agenda, threatening to destroy... See Details
• Henry Project Henry is troubled youth with behavior health issues and in need of support, guidance and love from his community. See Details
• Hunting in the Dehcho Short documentary about two Indigenous people hunting in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. See Details

I

• The Incident at Juniper Ridge Our film is about two young sheep herders who come across an injured patron on the run from a robbery gone wrong. Their adventures include western shoot-outs, betrayal, and Spanish treasures. See Details
• The Inherited A grieving young woman confronts her past as she returns home to settle her parents’ affairs. Butwhen eerie things start occurring, she’s faced with the return of her long-forgotten imaginary friend. See Details

J

• Jack Skull Take time to enjoy your life. Someday, we all meet Jack. See Details

K

• Kalli Nepantla (The House of In-Between) Kalli Nepantla (The House of In-Between) is based on the real life experiences of an Indigenous woman and her family. In Kalli Nepantla, our family consists of Tlalli (older sister), Xochipilli (younger sister), and Marialena (mom).  Each member of the family lives with their own... See Details
• Kenji The life and work of Japanese photographer, Kenji Kawano, explored through his extraordinary five decade long journey documenting the WWII Navajo Code Talkers through his lens. See Details
• Know To Run: Yatika When representation is everything, it can make a difference and have a profound impact when community is included in spaces that lack inclusion and diversity. This short film, Know to Run, featuring Yatika Starr Fields, an Indigenous runner, artist and advocate, is the recipient of... See Details
• KWADDU (To Return) When Chenoas(Melissa Ogden)mother falls ill to tuberculosis, her father wants to abandon the reservation and take her to the city. Confused as to why her mother wants to die on the land. She inquires of her ancestor(Kelis Hawthorne) and is shown the story of her... See Details

L

• Lady Red Warriors A story about the rise of the Oklahoma Choctaw Nation women’s stickball team, Tvshka Homma Ohoya also known as the Lady Red Warriors, and two Nations coming together (Choctaw and Chickasaw Nation) to become a force in the stickball community. See Details
• Legendz A down and out Native American man must dig up bones for a shady museum curator. The land is protected by a spirit and William Bill must use his mental abilities to eventually place the bones back on the sacred land. See Details

M

• Making the Jump: The Horsemen of Omak Express World Champion team Omak Express have spent a lifetime fighting to define themselves and their Colville Confederacy Tribe as true horsemen in the 400 year old sport of Indian Relay Racing. Now, as one of the oldest teams on the track, they lay their hopes... See Details
• Mary Margaret Road-Grader In writer/director Steven Paul Judd’s adaptation of Howard Waldrop’s 1976 sci-fi short story, Mary Margaret Road-Grader transports us to a post-apocalyptic Indigenous world. Stakes are high for a new and controversial contender as she fights for her place amidst changing traditions. We open on a... See Details
• Mother’s Day While searching for love and connection, Ashleigh (Natalie Benally) works through her own challenges between parenthood vs adulthood, while discovering what’s truly important to her. See Details
• Mógúán: A Journey to Behavioral Health Youth from the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in Towaoc, Colorado visit the sites of Los Angeles to embrace new places and bolster their wellness. This piece is a short documentary that highlights their desire to see the world, experience new things and become leaders in... See Details

N

• Native 10 News Follow groundbreaking news from the youth at United American Indian Involvement Inc. See Details
• NIGIQTUQ ᓂᒋᖅᑐᖅ (The South Wind) Having left Nunavut with her mother Kumaa’naaq (koo-MAT-na) in 1938, young Marguerite must negotiate the unspoken pressures of being Inuk in her new life in the South. When an extraordinary letter arrives from home, Marguerite discovers what’s really expected of her. Based on a true... See Details

O

• An Ode For Leviticus A decrepit old man discovers the true nature of his doctor’s appointment and attempts to escape. See Details
• One of Our Own Nome, Alaska has the highest Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women per capita in the nation. This short narrative is based on true events on what has happened to one of our own. See Details

P

• Patriot John, a militia member who stormed the capitol on January 6th, deals with relationships while his militia plans to kidnap a Senator. See Details
• Pendleton Man In ‘Pendleton Man,’ three young Blackfoot cousins, left home alone, encounter the spooky Pendleton Man, in a night of terror. See Details
• The People’s Home: Five Decades of UAII he People’s Home: Five Decades of UAII traces the inspiring journey of United American Indian Involvement, Inc. (UAII) from its humble beginnings on Skid Row in 1974 to its current status as a leading provider of human and health services for American Indians/Alaskan Natives in... See Details
• Plaansh a Roo Jonny’s a Métis kid with big plans for the summer — right until he breaks his skateboard. Forced to find his own money for a new one, he starts busking with the fiddle tunes his grandpa taught him. But his mom resents his efforts, and... See Details
• Pretendian At the center is Cheyenne Deer, a talented and successful actor, convinced she is entitled to more than the world has given her, including passing a Native American. Cheyenne is “ethnically ambiguous,” so she feels there is nothing wrong with performing or playing the part... See Details

R

• The Recipe Three thieves pose as a tour group to steal a mysterious woven basket from the Warm Springs Museum. As they execute their heist, blending in with visitors and evading suspicion, the basket’s true significance begins to unfold. This short film was created during a 4-day... See Details
• Red Hand Living on the reservation, a young Navajo girl’s older sister has gone missing without any sign of communication. Months pass while the family must figure out what to do with the FBI’s trust in failure. The young girl connects with an old friend and now... See Details
• Regalia A mens chicken dancer leaves a Powwow and finds himself back in the city where he can’t quite fit in. See Details
• The River THE RIVER is a poignant exploration of family, addiction, and cultural legacy, set against the backdrop of the Gila River Indian Reservation. The story follows three generations of basket makers from the O’otham tribe: Rocky, struggling with problem gambling, her auntie, Nan, and Rocky’s teenage... See Details

S

• Safe Place A young man decides to help in a young girl’s dangerous situation but soon will have to face the consequences of being involved in a family conflict. See Details
• The Saint & Bear Two strangers cross paths on an ominous park bench. See Details
• Second Sunrise Constable agent Francis has spent years enforcing evictions, each day another family out on the streets. His personal life is in shambles especially with his daughter that he hasn’t seen. since he ran off on her when she was just a baby. He is a... See Details
• Shaping Our Future Carving a 40 ft totem pole takes time and patience. Doing it from a Victoria BC jail … this is their story. See Details
• Skylar’s Comet Skylar‘s world is a desolate place, devoid of purpose and hope. However, everything changes when he receives a letter from his grandfather. Within the pages of his grandfather’s stories lies a glimmer of hope, a lifeline amidst the darkness. As Skylar unravels his grandfather’s tales... See Details
• Sky Sisters: The Justice System In “Sky Sisters: Episode 1, Justice System,” the journey begins with Indigenous youth filmmakers exploring the harrowing Highway of Tears in Alberta, Canada—a stretch notorious for its connection to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). This episode delves into the... See Details
• The Spotlight of Dreams A young girl auditions for a musical theater role, but is denied because she doesn’t look like the part. The young co-director decides they’ve had enough and wants to pursue making their own theater company, giving the kids who are often left out because of... See Details

T

• Tahnaanooku’ A grandmother. A source of existence. A portal to other worlds. For thousands of years, the Indigenous Peoples of what is now known as North and South Dakota co-existed reciprocally with the Missouri River, its waters offering life while also inspiring legends and languages. In... See Details
• Tales From The Rez Savanna (Shayla Stonechild) defies her grandmother’s warnings and joins a group of friends for a weekend of camping and partying at The Bow River. But when their fun night reaches its peak they awaken the Soiyitapiiks (Water People), leading to a fearful night of survival from these ancient... See Details
• Tentsítewahkwe As a young girl, Jessica Shenandoah (Wolf Clan from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation) learned about harvesting medicine and edible plants alongside her mother and grandmother. Contemporary Native Peoples are often separated many generations from their traditional knowledge due to the effects of colonial realities such... See Details
• This is Indian Country-San Diego “This is Indian Country” invites you on a captivating journey through the rich diversity and cultural wonders of America’s indigenous communities. Hosted by Ruth-Ann Thorn, a proud member of the Rincon band of Luiseño Indians, this engaging docu-series showcases urban and ancestral Native Americans excelling... See Details
• This Means Forever This Means Forever follows Lloyd, a young man who has lost both of his parents in such a short amount of time. Being their only child, the stress of handling everything following their passing is solely on him. Lloyd finds himself all alone to deal... See Details
• Thunder Horses A young girl learns a valuable lesson on how to treat her horses from her grandfather. See Details
• Tsa-La-Gi LA “Keep Our Stories Alive” Storytelling has been a part of Cherokee ways for as long as we can remember. It’s a means of sharing our history and keeping it alive from generation to generation. Within Tsa–La–Gi LA, we honor the oral histories shared by our Elders and community members.... See Details
• Tule Tule is a poetic 2D animated mixed media short film championing awareness and hope. A young Pomo girl serves as the narrator of our project. Her poetic contemplations ring true with convictions shared by her Pomo community at Clear Lake, California. She revels in the... See Details
• Támqaliks Ciklíitoqa Tamkaliks, an annual reunion for the displaced Nez Perce People, takes place in Wallowa, Oregon. This documentary focuses on the origins of Tamkaliks, its lasting impact to cultivate relationships, and the wal’wáama (people of Wallowa) as they return to their homelands to celebrate the 30th... See Details

U

• Uncommon Ground Set in the Coast Salish region of the Pacific Northwest, 150 years in the future, the true history of North America has been swept under the rug, the stories of Indigenous peoples have been silenced, and religion and culture are criminalized. Indigenous people, like Tawni and... See Details
• Urban As he struggles to feel welcome in a predominantly white school, a Native American student comes to befriend a Latine classmate. The two explore the environment they’re in and the complexities of each others’ cultures. See Details

V

• Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae This true crime docuseries examines the murder of Annie Mae Aquash – a Mi’kmaq woman from Nova Scotia, Canada, a mother of two daughters, a teacher, and a revolutionary who fought for Indigenous rights in the 1970s whose death went unsolved for almost 30 years.... See Details

Y

• Yokaia Jack Curley, a bird photographer, takes a picture of the Yokaia Quail, a bird previously known to be extinct. Word spreads and Charlie Fremont, a wildlife conservationist, contacts Jack. They set a day to meet and search for the quail. Once they finally meet, they start the... See Details

�

• ᏩᏯ Waya, Saving Our Red Grandfather The Red Wolf is not only the most endangered wolf in the world, it’s quite possibly the most misunderstood. In this 30-minute documentary, we explore the Red Wolf’s cultural significance to the Cherokee people and why conservationists hope indigenous knowledge will help save it from... See Details