May 3-4, 2025
Saturday and Sunday
INDIGENOUS WAYS
- Film FESTIVAL -
Indigenous Ways Film Festival
Saturday, May 3 (11 AM - 9 PM)
Sunday, May 4 (11 AM - 5 PM)
Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus
83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, NM 87508
*Free & Open to the Public, (Seats are guaranteed with RSVP). ASL Interpreters Provided.
Festival Update: Important Announcement
We regret to inform you that the screening of Free Leonard Peltier, originally scheduled for Friday, May 2, at the IndigenousWays Film Festival, has been canceled. While this decision was not made lightly, we hold deep respect for the film's powerful message and hope to showcase it at a future event.
Thank you for your understanding and for standing with us as we continue to amplify Indigenous voices through impactful storytelling. We invite you to join us for the selection of masterful films and discussions taking place throughout the weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
With gratitude,
The IndigenousWays & IAIA Team
Join us for the 2025 IndigenousWays Film Festival, a three-day celebration of Indigenous storytelling, art, and community. Hosted on the ancestral lands of the Tewa people at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, this FREE festival shines a spotlight on Indigenous women and student filmmakers through powerful film screenings, interactive workshops, and thought-provoking artist conversations. All events are wheelchair accessible and include ASL interpretation.
This year’s festival honors both the deep traditions and bold future of Indigenous cinema. With stories of resilience, humor, healing, and intergenerational wisdom, every frame offers an intimate glimpse into the richness of Indigenous identity and creativity.
Featured Guests
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Carla-Rae (Seneca/Mohawk)
Actress who honors the sacred significance of stories through her work
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DezBaa’ (Diné/Navajo)
Actress, filmmaker, and champion of Indigenous media
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Ramona Emerson (Diné)
Emmy-nominated filmmaker and author of Shutter
-
Amber Morning Star Byars (Choctaw)
Emerging voice in Native cinema and student filmmaker
-
Gary Medina Cook (Genizaro, Choctaw, French,Scottish/Irish)
Filmmaker, musician and composer
-
James WoodenLegs (Cheyenne)
Deaf member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, works to preserve Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL)
-
Arletta Toland (Navajo)
Deaf Diné Elder who is the subject and co-director of Arletta.
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Laura Cook
Deaf filmmaker who founded TB8 Films and Media LLC
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J. Sanchez
PGA member and Air Force vet J. created The Fireball Run, develops attractions, and runs Scaramanga Ranch near Santa Fe
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Jennifer Schwalenberg
Santa Fe Casting Director who began in L.A., built NM's Native casting database, served as NM Film Office Deputy Director, and owns Casting by Jen.
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Rene Haynes
BAFTA, Emmy, Artios, and Canadian Screen Award nominee
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Montana James Miller (Diné)
Diné artist, BFA student at IAIA, won Best Experimental Short at Mindfield for Arletta
🎞️ 2025 IndigenousWays Film Festival Schedule
May 3–4 | Institute of American Indian Arts Campus | FREE | ASL Interpreters Provided
Celebrate the power of Indigenous storytelling with a weekend of transformative films, inspiring panels, and community-focused conversations. All screenings will be followed by engaging discussions with filmmakers, artists, and cultural leaders.
Featured FIlms
📅 Saturday, May 3
🎬 Saturday Morning Matinee
The Genízaro Experience
Directed by Gary Medina Cook
⏱️ 11:00 AM | Duration: 1 hr
This one-hour documentary explores the origins of Indigenous slavery, and Genízaro in New Mexico, as well as, a variety of related themes including cultural hybridity, equality, genetic genealogy, and tribal recognition.
🎤 Followed by a panel discussion
🎬 Saturday Afternoon Feature
Bones of Crows
⏱️ 2:30 PM | Duration: 2 hrs
BONES OF CROWS is told through the eyes of Cree Matriarch Aline Spears as she survives a childhood in Canada’s residential school system to continue her family’s generational fight in the face of systemic starvation, racism, and sexual abuse. She uses her uncanny ability to understand and translate codes into working for a special division of the Canadian Air Force as a Cree code talker in World War II. The story unfolds over 100 years with a cumulative force that propels us into the future.
🎤 Followed by a panel discussion
🎬 Saturday Student Short Films
Student Short Films
⏱️ 7:15 PM | Duration: 1.5 hrs
🎤 Spotlight on student filmmakers from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)
An evening dedicated to emerging Indigenous voices. These short films—created by IAIA students—highlight personal stories, cultural identity, and creative innovation through bold, experimental, and heartfelt cinematic works. Don’t miss this powerful glimpse into the future of Indigenous filmmaking.
🎬 Saturday Evening Panel
Native Women Filmmakers Panel
⏱️ 6:30 PM | Duration: 1 hr
🎤 Join Ramona Emerson
A dynamic, cross-generational conversation on creativity, representation, and the triumphs and challenges of Native women in film.
📅 Sunday, May 2
🎬 Sunday Feature Presentation
Sugarcane
Panel Discussion with Amber Morning Star Byars (Choctaw)
⏱️ 12:00 PM | Duration: 1.5 hrs
A stunning tribute to the resilience
of Native people and their way of
life – SUGARCANE, the debut feature
documentary from Julian Brave
NoiseCat and Emily Kassie – is an epic
cinematic portrait of a community
during a moment of international
reckoning. Set amidst a ground
breaking investigation into abuse and
death at an Indian residential school,
the film empowers participants to
break cycles of intergenerational
trauma by bearing witness to painful,
long-ignored truths – and the love that
endures within their families despite
the revelation of genocide.
🎤 Followed by a panel discussion
🌟 Festival Highlights 🌟
Short & Feature Films: Experience a diverse range of stories, from intimate narratives to groundbreaking documentaries.
Student Films: Discover fresh perspectives from the next generation of Indigenous filmmakers.
Panels & Conversations: Engage in meaningful discussions with filmmakers, artists, and cultural leaders.
Deaf Shorts & Panel: An immersive cinematic experience where sign language transforms into poetry, power, and profound expression.
Indigenous Women in Film: Celebrating matriarchal strength and creative brilliance both on screen and behind the scenes.
Workshops: Hands-on sessions for youth and adults to explore storytelling and media creation.
Join us for a weekend of storytelling, connection, and celebration as we honor the voices shaping Indigenous cinema today and tomorrow!
The IndigenousWays Festival is an outdoor music and arts events in Santa Fe during the summer months. We bring together Indigenous musicians, wisdom keepers, artisans, drummers, weavers and a host of other performers to continue our goal of educating our community around the beauty of Indigenous Ways.
Thank You
Ahéhee' nihíká’ anajah dóó nihil nisoozí
In Navajo: thank you for your support and for standing together with us.
IndigenousWays is incredibly thankful to all our sponsors - their financial generosity allows us to bring this festival free to our community. We are equally grateful to all our partner organizations, who have helped put the IndigenousWays Festival on the map and provide us with wisdom. And a special shout-out to the scores of volunteers who lend their time and energy, month after month to the festival.