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Rise Above Shorts Program
Saturday, November 21, 2020 | 3 PM EST
Available on demand until 3 PM EST, November 26, 2020

These shorts focus on rising above adversity and learning life’s lessons, often with a dose of Native humor.

Kaumakaiwa | starts at 00:00:00
(USA, 2018, 3 min.)
Director: Bradley Tangonan

Kumu Hula Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole demonstrates how hula and oli connect her to the land and the spirits therein.

Tekona | starts at 00:03:02
(USA, 2019, 4 min.)
Directors: Tomas Karmelo Amaya (Yoeme/Raramuri/A:shiwi), Shalene Joseph (A’aniiih/Athabascan)

A young Native man reflects on his family’s teachings in order to make deeper connections to his Indigenous identity.

Jewel’s Hunt | starts at 00:07:24
(USA, 2019, 9 min.)
Director: Alexandra Stergiou
Producer: Gina Pollack, Cass Gardiner (Anishinaabe/Algonquin)

Jewel comes from a long line of skilled Native Alaskan hunters. Can she balance the complications of a modern teenager with her connection to village life?

The Fake Calendar | starts at 00:16:37
(Canada, 2019, 2 min.)
Director: Meky Ottawa (Atikamewk)

An artist’s expression of how people come up with interesting and creative ways to avoid social functions in favor of their own private space.

Nancy From Now On | starts at 00:18:16
(New Zealand, 2019, 19 min.)
Director: Keely Meechan (Whakatohea)

A coming-of-age film about Ngaru, a young Māori boy who has a burning desire to be a drag queen.

Your Name Isn’t English | starts at 00:37:50
(USA, 2018, 15 min.)
Director: Tazbah Rose Chavez (Nüümü/Diné /Apache)

As drivers struggle to pronounce her name, a Native American passenger offers history lessons from the backseat. It’s a lesson in American history they won't forget.

Qam Hina | starts at 00:52:47
(Peru, 2019, 4 min.)
Director: Apolo Bautista
Quechua with no subtitles

Peruvian artist Renata Flores Rivera’s (Quechua) hit single “Qam Hina” tackles the hard life young Indigenous women face in rural areas.

Kanockatonanok (Crossing Paths) | starts at 00:57:21
(Canada, 2018, 5 min.)
Director: Nicolas Awashish (Atikamekw)
French with English subtitles

Made entirely of photographs, the film is an impressionist’s night journey through the Atikamekw village of Opitciwan.

My Favorite Food Is Indian Tacos, My Favorite Drink Is Iced Tea, and My Favorite Thing Is Drumming | starts at 01:02:48
(Canada, 2018, 4 min.)
Director: Derius Matchewan Papatie (Anishinaabe)
French with English subtitles

A film about courage and the passion young Darius shares with his friends.

“Run It to Ya” | starts at 01:06:41
(USA, 2019, 3 min.)
Director: Evan James Atwood (Diné)

This music video for the song “Run It to Ya,” from the album At the Party with My Brown Friends, features Black Belt Eagle Scout’s Katherine Paul (Swinomish/Iñupiaq).

Little Chief | starts at 01:10:27
(USA, 2020, 11 min.)
Director: Erica Tremblay (Seneca-Cayuga Nation)

The lives of a Native woman and a nine-year-old boy intersect over the course of a school day on a reservation in Oklahoma.