Native Americans fill the screen in "Seeing Red: An American Indian Film Series"

CLEVELAND (March 4, 2010) – Explore the cinematic achievements of Native Americans with seven classic and contemporary films about North America's indigenous peoples. The Cleveland Museum of Art's Seeing Red: An American Indian Film Series features many films directed by active Native American filmmakers; five movies are Cleveland premieres. Select screenings will be followed by a discussion led by Marie Toledo, a Native American educator.

This film series complements the museum's spring exhibition Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection. The exhibition explores Native North American art from the Eastern Woodlands to the Northwest through 135 masterpieces spanning 2,000 years. The exhibition provides visitors with a broad understanding and appreciation of the aesthetic accomplishments and cultural heritage of this country's first peoples. Art of the American Indians opens at CMA on March 7, 2010, and runs through May 30.

All films will be shown in the Morley Lecture Hall located at 11150 East Boulevard in University Circle. Unless noted, admission prices to museum films are: general public $8; CMA members, seniors 65 and over, and students $6; or one CMA Film Series voucher. CMA Film Series vouchers (in books of 10) cost $60 for the general public, $50 for CMA members. Tickets are available through the Online Box Office at www.clevelandart.org, in person or over the phone at 1-888-CMA-0033. Parking is available in the CMA parking garage.

Seeing Red: An American Indian Film Series
* Denotes post-film discussion led by Marie Toledo

Reel Injun
Wednesday, March 31, 5:15 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.*
Directed by Neil Diamond, with Adam Beach, Clint Eastwood, Sacheen Littlefeather, and Russell Means. Using interviews and ample film clips, a Cree filmmaker traces the portrayal of North American Indians through a century of cinema. Cleveland premiere.
CANADA, 2009, COLOR, DVD, 89 MIN.

Barking Water
Friday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 3, 1:30 p.m.
Directed by Sterlin Harjo. A terminally ill Native elder is sprung from his hospital deathbed by his ex, who drives him home to reconcile with his estranged grown daughter. This touching road movie by Oklahoma-based Seminole/Creek filmmaker Sterlin Harjo (see also 4/7) combines sentiment with self-discovery. Cleveland premiere
USA, 2009, COLOR, 35MM, 80 MIN. BARKINGWATERFILM.COM

Four Sheets to the Wind
Wednesday, April 7, 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.*
Directed by Sterlin Harjo, with Cody Lightning. After the death of his father, a shy Oklahoma Native leaves the family nest to venture into the unpredictable world beyond, finding disappointment and love. A neglected gem from Native American independent filmmaker Sterlin Harjo (see 4/2 & 3). Cleveland theatrical premiere.
USA, 2007, COLOR, DVD, 81 MIN.

Before Tomorrow
Friday, April 9, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 11, 1:30 p.m.
Directed by Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu. Set around 1840 in Canada's Far North, this powerful film from the producer of The Fast Runner tells of an Inuit elder who spends the summer drying fish on an isolated island with her 10-year-old grandson. But when winter approaches and the clan fails to fetch them, she fears the worst. "Profound, elemental and hauntingly beautiful…Makes an intimate story of endurance into a metaphor for an entire culture." –Variety. Cleveland premiere.
CANADA, 2008, COLOR, SUBTITLES, 35MM, 93 MIN. BEFORETOMORROW.CA

Older than America
Wednesday, April 21, 6:45 p.m.*
Friday, April 23, 7:00 p.m.
Directed by Georgina Lightning, with Adam Beach, Georgina Lightning, Bradley Cooper, Tantoo Cardinal, and Wes Studi. A Native American woman plagued by nightmarish visions seeks their cause. This supernatural thriller — the first movie directed by a longtime Native actor and advocate — tackles the tragic displacement of indigenous people. Cleveland theatrical premiere. USA, 2008, COLOR, DVD, 102 MIN. OLDERTHANAMERICA.COM

In the Land of the Head Hunters
Sunday, April 25, 1:00 p.m.
Directed by Edward S. Curtis. Famed photographer Edward S. Curtis collaborated with the Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw) people of British Columbia to create this singular silent movie — the first film with an all-indigenous cast (made eight years before Flaherty's Nanook of the North) — that weds authentic, but staged, Native American rituals to a melodramatic story about a tribal love triangle. Cleveland premiere of a restored 35mm print from the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Film will be introduced by Marie Toledo.
USA, 1914, B&W, SILENT, 35MM, 75 MIN.

Alcatraz Is Not an Island
Wednesday, April 28, 7:00 p.m.*
Directed by James M. Fortier. The 1969-71 occupation of Alcatraz Island by Native American "Red Pride" activists is recounted with the aid of interviews, vintage film clips, and re-enactments in this fascinating documentary narrated by Benjamin Bratt. Cleveland theatrical premiere.
USA, 2001, COLOR, BETA SP, 69 MIN.

About The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes over 40,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. Currently undergoing a multi-phase renovation and expansion project, it is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, performing arts, and art education. Admission to the museum has been free since its founding charter.

The Cleveland Museum of Art has a membership of nearly 25,000 households and is supported by a broad range of individuals, foundations, and businesses in Cleveland and Northeastern Ohio. The museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Additional support comes from the Ohio Arts Council, which helps fund the museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. For more information on the museum, its holdings, programs and events, call 1-888-CMA-0033 or visit www.ClevelandArt.org.

DVD screeners available (dependent upon film): please contact Christa Skiles,
216-707-6898, cskiles@clevelandart.org.