ADMISSON:
Admission is free. Reservations required.

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DESCRIPTION: 
A big-screen theatrical showcase of Native American and indigenous short films will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. 

This event is presented in conjunction with the LA SKINS FEST, a film festival that provides opportunities and outlets for Native American filmmakers and offers additional programming to encourage them, including a monthly writers group, monthly directors workshop, and youth multimedia workshops. 

About the films: 

Commodity (Written and Directed by Rayne Kingfisher, 10 min.) 
Commodity is a modern folktale about one man’s trials and tribulations to get an Indian taco. Our nameless hero meanders through the American Southwest and encounters a ghost, a foul-mouthed aunty, and a thieving Juggalo standing in the way of his quest. Hallucinations and haunting psychedelic sounds and images reflect his mental state in this off-the-wall comedy that crescendos in a final battle. Will good triumph over evil? This morality tale leaves us with the timeless message that “tradition becomes our security when the mind is secure in its decay,” even if tradition is frybread and Indigenous survivance. 

Cotanka Calling (Written and Directed by Jacob R. Pratt, Produced by Jacob R. Pratt, Jenifer Brousseau, and Sarah Kelly, 26 min.) 
A young man and woman are drawn toward each other from a distance, have an instant connection, and live out their love story in two different timelines and lifetimes. Their courtship, which involves a Native American flute, shows how the modern world has impacted traditional practices and creates barriers to our ability to connect.  

Ellay (Directed and Produced by Cruz-William Castillo, Written by Keenan Duke, 25 min.)
It’s expensive to be poor in L.A., especially when you're an out-of-work actor. Broke, alone, and trying to navigate the big city, Aidan is finally offered the role of his life. But at what cost? 

Stripper (Directed by Anthony Sneed, Written by Anthony Sneed and Chris Thompson, Produced by Tiffany Conklin, Thomas Hartman, Anthony Sneed, and Zane Kalnina, 14 min.)
When 13-year-old Cricket walks past the local strip club with his friends, nothing can prepare him for who they see walking into work: his mom. With rumors starting to spread, Cricket takes matters into his own hands to clear his mom’s name. 

The Daily Life of Mistress Red (Written and Directed by Peshawn Rae Bread, Produced by Jhane Myers, Jennifer Reeder, and Michael D. Jones, 11 min.)
In this mockumentary that explores the world of kink, Native women, and defeating white supremacy on one’s own terms. Marie Callingbird is a Native fashion boutique owner who is also Mistress Red, a dominatrix who fights racism, sexism, and colonization by taking white supremacist clients. Can Taylor, a blogger who is excited to meet Marie but surprised by Mistress Red, accept Mistress Red as much as she admires Marie? 

The Mainland (Written and Directed by Conrad Ikaika Lihilihi, 19 min.)
Aspring actor Ikaika is struggling with the trends and politics of diversity in Hollywood when his small-town cousin Kekoa unexpectedly visits from Hawai’i, bringing much-needed doses of ’ohana and aloha. 

Related events: 

LA SKINS FEST: Imagining the Indian  
Screening and Q&A with the Filmmakers 
Monday, August 28, 2023, at 7 p.m. 
Norris Cinema Theatre 
For more info, click HERE. 

LA SKINS FEST: Lakota Nation vs. United States  
Screening and Q&A with the Filmmakers 
Monday, October 9, 2023, at 7 p.m. 
Norris Cinema Theatre 
For more info, click HERE. 

Presented by the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Outside the Box (Office), USC Visions and Voices, and the LA SKINS FEST.