American Indian Film Institute

The American Indian Film Institute presents the annual American Indian Film Festival, having screened more than 2,000 films in its forty-year history. It is the largest and most longstanding festival of its kind, presenting Native American media artists, who have historically been excluded from mainstream media, to foster understanding of myriad indigenous cultures, their traditions and contemporary issues. The festival seeks to provide multi-dimensional images that reflect the complexity of Native peoples. The organization also provides year round media training to at-risk Native youth in local tribal communities, preparing them for careers in the industry. A first time grant to the American Indian Film Institute would support capacity building, and expand the organization’s reach to new audiences in presenting its fortieth anniversary festival, including a series of pre-festival programs, a film competition, and a collection of youth produced films from its education program

The American Indian Film Institute fosters understanding of the culture, traditions, and contemporary issues of Native American people and communities by showcasing Native people’s narratives in contemporary film. Located in San Francisco, it presents the annual American Indian Film Festival and maintains an archive that celebrates Native film and brings culture, creativity, education, tribal and nontribal communities together to honor the art of narrative and Native people on the big screen.

The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) fosters understanding of the culture, traditions, and contemporary issues of Native Americans. The first American Indian Film Festival, presented in 1975 in Seattle, was relocated in 1977 to San Francisco, where it found its permanent home. Forty-one years later, AIFI is the major Native American media and cultural art presenter in California, and its festival is the world’s oldest and best known exposition dedicated to Native Americans in cinema. The festival includes film screenings, panel discussions, workshops, an awards ceremony, and networking events. The off-season Tribal Touring Program brings media tools and training to tribal youth, a selection of whose works are screened during the festival. A renewal of AIFI’s award will support operations and programming, a relaunch of the Indian Cinema Entertainment periodical in an online format, and the development of a curated series of films for a national on-demand streaming partner.