The theme of the Two Worlds program is rooted in the struggle faced by many in the American Indian community – modern modes vs. traditional ways, urban life vs. life on the reservation, the earthly vs. the spiritual.
Old West meets Middle East in the world premiere of Cherokee playwright Alan Kilpatrick’s edgy, rollicking farce Little Big Horn. Kilpatrick’s outrageous comedy shifts swiftly from the American frontier of 1876 to an American embassy in the Middle East of the 21st century, as it explores, with tongue firmly in cheek, American foreign policy and the ways we view cultures different from our own. Little Big Horn was selected for production following a 2008 call for new plays by Native writers in the United States and Canada.
Emerging screenwriter Roberto A. Jackson’s short film Indios Primeros is the tale of a good-hearted Native American ne’er do well, who, in a spontaneous act of courage, assists an illegal Mexican immigrant family. The two worlds of Native Americans and Mexican immigrants find common ground prior to a showdown with illegal border guards. Indios Primeros was selected from among 24 screenplays submitted by Native writers. During the premiere screening, Jackson’s film will be accompanied by a program of film shorts by other Native American moviemakers.
Working with gels, prisms and the limitless possibility of imagination, students at the Native American Community Academy (NACA) teamed with AmeriCorps volunteers to produce experimental images on slides which were projected onto textures – parking lot surfaces, fabrics, human hair. The results, photographed by the students, make up the experimental images that are part of the Two Worlds exhibit, a project that challenged the students to experiment with the manipulation of images and develop lasting professional skills.
Work by Indios Primeros screenwriter Roberto A. Jackson completes the exhibit with photographs of the harsh but beautiful landscape of the Gila Indian River Community in Arizona. For Jackson, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Arizona State University, these views “explore how my Tribe's relation to the land has changed in the years since the river was taken from us.”
Two Worlds Film Edgar’s Journey (2008) has been well-received at film festivals throughout the Southwest. Two Worlds’ most vital mission is education and workforce training designed to prepare Native Americans in New Mexico for opportunities in the state’s expanding film industry, as well as providing them with the skills necessary to promote their tribes’ arts and culture or archive the traditions and stories of their people. This is accomplished not only through the Two Worlds filmmaking workshops, in which Native American participants make a short film, but also through Two Worlds’ photography and theater programs which provide valuable preparation for work in the film industry.
To learn more about the Two Worlds program contact coordinator Ollie Reed Jr. at (505) 345-2872 ext. 26 or oreedjr@gmail.com
For reservations/information call 505-344-4542