Creative Spirit Showcase Spotlights Short Films By American Indians

Creative Spirit is a workforce employment and training initiative of the nonprofit Southern California Indian Center, Inc. (SCIC) and its multimedia department, InterTribal Entertainment.  Each year, the Creative Spirit program brings together emerging and established American Indian writers, directors, actors, producers and technicians to collaborate in the production of short film projects.   

This year’s event will feature the world premiere of the whimsical romantic comedy, “Search for the World’s Best Indian Taco,” written and directed by Steven Judd (Kiowa / Choctaw) and the California premiere of the illegal immigrant drama “Indios Primeros” written and directed by Roberto A. Jackson (Gila River Indian Community).  The screening will also offer encore presentations of last year’s Creative Spirit shorts featuring stories about Hollywood Indians, global warming and Indian vampires. 

The event is free and open to the public.  Some of the films contain mature language and themes, parental guidance is advised.  The Autry National Center is located at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles CA 90027, across from the L.A. zoo.  Seating is limited.  Please RSVP to the Autry National Center no later than Feb. 11 to swminfo@autrynationalcenter.org or call 323-221-2164, extension 221. 

SCIC’s InterTribal Entertainment (ITE) was founded in 2000 by legendary actor/musician Floyd “Red Crow” Westerman (Dakota Sioux), and evolved out of shared vision of the Native American social development and entertainment community, a collaborative effort of Floyd Westerman, SCIC Executive Director Paula Starr (Cheyenne), community developer Syd Beane (Mdewakanton Dakota / Flandreau Santee Sioux) and television producer Chuck Banner. 

The Creative Spirit program was introduced in 2006 by SCIC Planner and filmmaker James Lujan (Taos Pueblo), who designed the program to accomplish ITE’s primary goals of (1) providing employment and training opportunities for Native Americans in the entertainment industry job sector, and (2) developing, producing and marketing film, television and multimedia projects which contribute to a greater understanding of the American Indian experience. 

Says Lujan, “In the world of film and television, American Indians are still the most underrepresented ethnic group.  Much of this problem is due to the Native community’s lack of access to training, financial resources, and chances to collaborate with other American Indian filmmakers.  As far as I know, Creative Spirit is the only program I know of that addresses these needs on a consistent basis, and is providing Native talent with much-needed opportunities to learn from industry mentors, get hands-on experience and get their stories out there.” 

Creative Spirit has successfully provided training opportunities for many first-timers, including sound mixer Janna R. Lopez Räven (Taos Pueblo / Yaqui), who adds, “I cannot express my gratitude of the knowledge that Creative Spirit / InterTribal Entertainment has given me.  Not only did I stick with sound for film but I have tried to gain more experience … and I have now sound-mixed on eight other films.” 

The mission of the Southern California Indian Center, Inc, is to promote social and economic self-sufficiency for American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians.  For over 42 years, SCIC has served the urban Indian population of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. 

Creative Spirit is made possible with support from the United States Department of Labor Workforce Investment Act Section 166.  For more information on ITE and SCIC, visit www.nativefilm.com and www.indiancenter.org.