cinéSPEAK and We Are The Seeds present Dawnland Shorts / Reciprocity Shorts

121 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard,Philadelphia PA 19106

19 November, 2022

Description

**EVENT FLOW** DOORS @ 3PM FILM PROGRAM 1: DAWNLAND SHORTS @ 4:00PM FILM PROGRAM 2: RECIPROCITY SHORTS @ 5:30PM —Conversation with Adam Mazo (Upstander Project), Chris Newell and Jennifer Kreisberg to-follow each program! ABOUT THE PROGRAMS— THE DAWNLAND SHORTS: First Light Dir. Adam Mazo, Ben Pender-Cudlip / 2015 / English For centuries, the United States government has taken Native American children away from their tribes, devastating parents and denying children their traditions, culture, and identity. First Light documents these practices from the 1800s to today, and tells the story of an unprecedented experiment in truth-telling and healing for Wabanaki people and child welfare workers in Maine. Dear Georgina Dir. Adam Mazo, Ben Pender-Cudlip / 2019 / English A Passamaquoddy elder tries to sharpen the blurry outlines of her identity. Bounty Dir. Adam Mazo, Ben Pender-Cudlip, Tracy Rector, Dawn Neptune Adams (Penobscot), Maulian Dana (Penobscot) / 2021 / English We are citizens of the Penobscot Nation. For this film, we bring our families to Boston to read our ancestors’ death warrant. This abhorrent proclamation, made in 1755 by the colonial government, paid settlers handsomely to murder Penobscot people. It declared our people enemies and offered different prices for the scalps of children, women, and men. Bounty proclamations like this, some even paid in stolen land, persisted for more than two centuries across what is now the United States. The memory of being hunted is in our blood. We know this to be true, and the science now affirms that trauma can be passed down from generation to generation. In BOUNTY we take control of this process by inviting our children into the colonizer’s hall of injustice, to read their hateful words and tell the truth about what was done to our ancestors. We exercise our power by sharing the horrors of this hard history as an act of resistance, remembrance, and a step toward justice. THE RECIPROCITY PROJECT SHORTS: Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors) Dir. Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Alisha Carlson (Gwich’in) / 2022 / Gwich’in & English A grandfather teaches his granddaughter, a young Gwich’in mother named Alisha, how reciprocity is embedded in all aspects of life. The northern lights warm the caribou; the caribou helps feed and sustain the community; the community honors the connections. Each element in nature is purposeful and related. In turn, these connections bring new meaning to Alisha and her wishes for her children and for all living beings. ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) Dir. Brit Hensel and Keli Gonzales (Cherokee Nation) / 2022 / English & Tsalagi Gawonihisdi Filmed on the Qualla Boundary and Cherokee Nation, ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker. ᎤᏕᏲᏅ circles the intersection of tradition, language, land and a commitment to maintaining balance. This film was created in collaboration with independent artists from both Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. SŪKŪJULA TEI (Stories of My Mother) Dir. David Hernandez Palmar and Flor Palmar (Wayuu Iipuana) / 2022 / Wayuunaiki During a visit to her sister Amaliata, Rosa, a wise Wayuu woman, teaches her grandchildren the importance of reciprocity within their culture. Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come) Dir. Geo Neptune and Brianna Smith (Passamaquoddy) / 2022 / English & Passamaquoddy On the Eastern reaches of the occupied territory now referred to as North America, the children of Koluskap call upon ancestral teachings to guide them. Revitalizing cultural practices kept from their elders, Peskotomuhkati young people lead an intergenerational process of healing through the reclamation of athasikuwi-pisun, "tattoo medicine." Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn) Dir. Jacob Bearchum, Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Chris Newell, Roger Paul, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector, and Lauren Stevens / 2022 / English & Passamaquoddy Waponahkik (the people of the dawn land) bring gratitude to the sun where it first looks our way. Song and stories invite us to accept the new day and put behind us any harm done the day before. Featuring Passamaquoddy citizens Christopher Newell, Roger Paul, and Lauren Stevens; and Yo-Yo Ma. Ma’s House Dir. Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock) / 2022 / English Ma’s House was once the heart of a community. As Ma’s grandson, artist and photographer Jeremy Dennis is on a quest to restore the family home to its central role as a community gathering place for a new generation of diverse artists. Through personal mementos, intimate narratives, and a touch of celebrity gossip, Dennis and his family reveal generations of history and hope contained within the walls of their home. Pili Ka Moʻo Dir. Justyn Ah Chong and Malia Akutagawa (Kanaka Maoli) / 2022 / English & ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi The Fukumitsu ʻOhana (family) of Hakipuʻu are Native Hawaiian taro farmers and keepers of this generational practice. While much of Oʻahu has become urbanized, Hakipuʻu remains a kīpuka (oasis) of traditional knowledge where great chiefs once resided and their bones still remain. The Fukumitsus are tossed into a world of complex real estate and judicial proceedings when nearby Kualoa Ranch, a large settler-owned corporation, destroys their familial burials to make way for continued development plans. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS / PROJECTS— We Are The Seeds: Celebrating and educates about contemporary Indigenous arts and culture, creating opportunities for Indigenous artists, and providing positive and accurate representation for Indigenous peoples. Learn More: www.wearetheseeds.org The Upstander Project: Upstander Project uses storytelling to amplify silenced narratives, develop upstander skills to challenge systemic injustice, and nurture compassionate, courageous relationships that honor the interconnection of all beings and the We envision a world rooted in responsibility and respect for all where upstanders confront injustice and repair harm to ensure all beings thrive together. Learn More: www.upstanderproject.org The Reciprocity Project: Reciprocity Project lifts up the value of reciprocity in Indigenous ways of storytelling through film, podcasts, and other creative mediums. We aim to create a paradigm shift that reframes our relationships to the Earth, other living beings, and one another. Reciprocity Project is co-produced by Nia Tero and Upstander Project in association with REI Co-Op Studios. Learn More: www.reciprocity.org — ABOUT THE ARTISTS: Adam Mazo (he/his) is the creative director for Upstander Project and an Emmy® Award-winning social issue documentarian. Adam has (co)directed and/or produced all of Upstander Project’s films, including Dawnland, which won an Emmy® Award in 2018. His films have been broadcast on domestic and international television (Independent Lens), programmed at film festivals (Sundance, Hot Docs, Camden) and international conferences, and screened at universities and K-12 schools, where they are also often used in curricula. He is Ashkenazi Jewish and lives with his family in the territory of the People of the Blue Hills — the Massachusett Tribe. Chris Newell (Passamaquoddy) (he/him) is the director of education at the Akomawt Educational Initiative. He is a lifetime educator. He was born and raised in Motahkmikuhk (Indian Township, ME) and is a proud citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township. He served for six years as the Education Supervisor for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. Out of the museum, Chris and his colleagues founded the Akomawt Educational Initiative in response to the public school system’s lack of representation of Native history and social studies. Chris was the senior adviser on Dawnland. Jennifer Kreisberg (Tuscarora, North Carolina) (she/her) Mother, Singer, Composer, and Teacher – Jennifer comes from four generations of Seven Singing Sisters through the maternal line. She is known for fierce vocals, soaring range and lilting, breath-taking harmonies. — ABOUT THE VENUE—Cherry Street Pier: **THIS EVENT IS SEMI-INDOORS/OUTDOORS** Masks are encouraged. Cherry Street Pier is a year-round, mixed-use public space on the central Delaware River waterfront. Built into the shell of a century-old municipal pier, it is a reflection of Philadelphia today—creative, diverse, historic, adaptable, and inspired. Parking: Street parking is limited and, thus, not guaranteed. We recommend taking public and/or Uber or Lyft. Learn More: www.cherrystreetpier.com — **COVID-19 SAFETY MEASURES WILL BE IN PLACE** —MASK WEARING IS REQUIRED IN INDOOR SPACES —FEEL UNWELL? BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19? PLEASE STAY HOME. Again—if you have been in contact with someone diagnosed with Covid up to 14 days before the event...please stay home. —IF AFTER ATTENDING OUR EVENT, you test positive for COVID-19 (within 10 days of attendance), please email us at [email protected] —GOT QUESTIONS?? Hit us up: [email protected] — ABOUT CINÉSPEAK: We are a Philadelphia-based cinema organization that engages diverse audiences through our independent, repertory and foreign film programming; creating space and centering the stories of individuals and communities that are often underrepresented in mainstream cinema. We promote community togetherness and global understanding by engaging film enthusiasts while cultivating the next generation of discerning moviegoers; encouraging people to demand social justice both on-screen and throughout society. FOLLOW THE JOURNEY--> www.cineSPEAK.org @cineSPEAK (Instagram; Twitter; Facebook) STAY IN THE LOOP—> https://bit.ly/cinéSPEAKMail