The Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival (GIIFF) will celebrate its 8th anniversary, with an emphasis on screenings and programming about social and cultural issues, currently making headline news. The four-day festival runs from May 23-26, 2019 at the Electric Lodge, located at 1416 Electric Ave. in Venice, Calif. Opening night festivities will kick off with the Los Angeles premiere of Dak’Toká Taíno (I Am Taino) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at the Electric Lodge Theatre. Written, produced and directed by Alba Garcia, “Dak’Toká Taíno” is a live-puppet short film about a Puerto Rican family dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Garcia will follow the screening of her film with a master class on how she used the power of film to spark activism and awareness of the Taíno indigenous community. Interestingly, Heather Henson of IBEX Puppetry – the daughter of acclaimed puppeteer Jim Henson, the founder of The Muppets – served as executive director on the project.
Founded in 2012 by festival director Freda Sideroff, the mission of GIIFF is to provide a platform to preserve the culture of Garifuna as well as Caribbean and other indigenous cultures, showcasing the cuisine, music and art of indigenous people and their communities from around the world. Sideroff is Garifuna. Garifuna is an indigenous population from the Caribbean island of Yurumein, today known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Garifuna people suffered a painful past of genocide at the hands of the British more than 220 years ago.
“As a member of an indigenous community, I am excited to provide a platform to not only preserve, but celebrate the historical and cultural traditions of indigenous people worldwide,” said Freda Sideroff, the festival director of GIIFF. “Indigenous people are integral to cultural diversity, globally, and recognizing these cultural traditions educates the majority community about the richness of traditional art forms and indigenous wisdom.” According to the United Nations Development Programme, there’s an estimated 375 to 500 million indigenous people worldwide, spread across 90 countries and representing 5,000 cultures.
This year, GIIFF has selected approximately 40 films, representing more than 50 indigenous communities from around the world. In the spirit of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, the festival’s roster of films and workshops will tackle topics on the subject of sexual assault and sex trafficking; as well as Islamophobia, racism and inequity; civil right, environmental and social injustice – just to name a few.
In recognition of May as National Mental Health Awareness Month, GIIFF will also partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health #5 with master classes on mental health issues, discussing mental health wellness and suicide prevention.
In addition, an Ambassador of Music Awards and Culture will be awarded to artist, composer, and producer Aponte of the Puerto Rico Bomba Collective for his preservation of “bomba,” a traditional, indigenous art form of music and dance from the Afro-Puerto Rican diaspora. Aponte hails from Puerto Rico and has performed live for audiences around the world, including Europe, Israel and Latin America. And he’s also worked with many Grammy and Latin Grammy winners and nominees like Wisin y Yandel, Tega Calderón, David Sanchez, Giovanni Hidalgo and Gilberto Santa Rosa – just to name a few. Currently, he’s an educator with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Plus, GIIFF will present an exhibition, featuring the work of Garifuna cultural visual artist and musician Greg Palacio from Belize.
Here are a few of the festival highlights:
MAIN ATTRACTIONS
Opening Night Los Angeles Premiere | Thursday, May 23, 2019
- “Dak’ Toká Taíno” (I Am Taino)” (Narrative Short/13 minutes and 20 seconds) | 7:30 p.m. – directed by international award-winning Puerto Rican director Alba Garcia, who will be present for Q & A. “Dak’ Toká Taíno” (I Am Taino) is a live-puppet short film about a Puerto Rican family dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Marabeli, a young Puerto Rican girl, visits her grandmother, Abuela Yaya after Hurricane Maria. She expresses her fears of survival, but her grandmother comforts her, and helps her to understand their Taino indigenous culture. Through a Taino prayer, the elder reminds Marabeli of their resilient ancestors and challenging history. To view the trailer, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cteX-5vGEZw Garcia will also present a Master Class on how she used the power of her film to spark activism and awareness of the Taíno indigenous community.
Friday, May 24, 2019 | 6 p.m.
- “Same God” (Narrative Documentary/90 minutes) – directed by Linda Midgett. In 2015, the political rhetoric against Muslims was escalating. Dr. Larycia Hawkins, an African American political science professor at Wheaton College, which is a prestigious evangelical school outside of Chicago, wanted to show support for Muslim women. She posted a photo of herself in a hijab on Facebook saying, “I love my Muslim neighbor,” she wrote, “because she deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity … we worship the same God.” Within days, Wheaton’s Provost suspended Dr. Hawkins, eventually moving to terminate her tenure. Were the school’s actions a move to protect its Christian theological purity, as it insisted? Or was it, as some suggested, the result of racism and Islamophobia? “Same God,” directed by Midgett, a Wheaton alumna, follows the journey of Dr. Hawkins while exploring the polarization taking place within the evangelical community over issues of race, Islam, religious freedom and Donald Trump. To view the trailer, visit https://vimeo.com/287471792
Saturday, May 25, 2019 | 2:45 p.m.
- “Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America (Narrative Documentary /55 min) — directed by Bill Wisneski. Shattered Dreams is a comprehensive documentary that examines the pervasive, dark underworld of sex trafficking in America. Heart wrenching personal stories from survivors of the illicit sex trade and leading experts reveal how vastly misunderstood and disregarded this important human rights issue has been. As hundreds of thousands of victims’ lives are destroyed by this multi-billion-dollar industry, the complex challenge of targeting the cause of this deeply embedded problem is exposed. Will increased awareness finally drive real solutions to save lives or will we continue to let this underground industry thrive in America? To view the trailer, visit https://vimeo.com/269676418
Closing Night | May 26, 2019 | 4:30 p.m.
Proclaimed “Garifuna Film Day” by City of Los Angeles and State of California in 2012
- “Neshoba” (Narrative Feature Documentary/87 min) — written and directed by Emmy winner Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano. GIIFF is honored to have Micki Dickoff present to discuss her film. Given the political atmosphere, GIIFF presents the critically-acclaimed “Neshoba,” which tells the story of a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice, 40 years after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. Although Klansmen bragged openly about what they did in 1964, no one was held accountable until 2005, when the State indicted preacher Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old notorious racist and alleged mastermind of the killings. Through intimate interviews with the families of the victims, candid interviews with black and white Neshoba County Citizens, and exclusive, first time interviews with Killen, the film explores whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth. To view the trailer, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=cUfNttzqV4U
GIIFF is sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health #5, Jus Tus Inc., Santicola, BZEWOODS Film Studios, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, BeBelize, Mannequins ‘N Motion, California Center for Economic Initiatives, Dr. Cadrin Gill, Elite Carib, Puerto Ricans in Action, Garifuna American Heritage Foundation United, Belize Runway Photography, and Clyde Gillett Photography. GIIFF also thanks the generous support of Stephen Sideroff, Ph. D.
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