Another Pop-Up Cinema in #Berlin, #Free Screening & Discussion of “Reel Injun” (2010) on 27 July

by in Announcements, Berlin, Culture, Current Events, Events, film, Film Review, films, Germany, Indigenous, Movies, Native American and tagged , , , | 2 Comments

I’ll be speaking at the Pop-up Cinema screening of “Reel Injun” on 27 July, with Berlinale NATIVe in association with Humboldt Forum. The event takes place at MACHmit! Kinder Museum at Senefelder 5/6 in Prenzlauer Berg, 10437, Berlin. Please follow BerlinaleNAtive to learn of upcoming events, as several more are planned through the end of summer, with films from around the world.

Topic: “What kind of image do Native Americans have in Westerns, what do the cowboy-and-Indian myths mean for North America, and how did this genre shape the way cinema developed? In the German-speaking world, Karl May’s Wild West fantasies and Pierre Brice, the “French Winnetou”, still influence people’s notions and images of Native Americans in North America. In this second part of its programme, the Pop-Up Cinema invites you to watch two very different films, both of which question the familiar clichés of prairie romanticism.2
DANCE TO MISS CHIEF
D: Kent Monkman, 2010, 5 min, music video
REEL INJUN
D: Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, Jeremiah Hayes, Canada 2010, 88 min, English with German subtitles
ADMISSION
free
———
“Was ist das Bild der amerikanischen Ureinwohner in Westernfilmen, was bedeuten Cowboy- und Indianermythen für Amerika und wie hat all das die Entwicklung des Kinos beeinflusst? Karl Mays Wildwest-Wunschträume und der „französische Winnetou“ Pierre Brice prägen unsere Vorstellungen und Bilder von Native Americans in Nordamerika bis heute. Das Pop-up Cinema lädt in seinem zweiten Filmblock zu zwei sehr unterschiedlichen Filmen, die beide jedes bekannte Klischee von Prärieromantik hinterfragen.
DANCE TO MISS CHIEF
R: Kent Monkman, 2010, 5 Min, Musikvideo
REEL INJUN
R: Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, Jeremiah Hayes, Kanada 2010, 88 Min, Englisch mit deutschen Untertiteln
EINTRITT
frei
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“Forget Winnetou!” Trailer Selected for Avanca Film Festival Screening

by in Announcements, films, Germany, Indigenous, Native American and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pleased to announce our Forget Winnetou- A Documentary Film trailer has been selected for screening at Avanca Film Festival, 26-30 July 2017!

To view our first official trailer, you can do so here.

“What does a world that respects Indigenous peoples look like, that’s working towards ending racism, colonialism, and other intersecting oppression on a global scale?” -Andrea Marcos

Most films about Native Americans focus exclusively on Native experience in North America, however stereotypes of the original peoples of Turtle Island have spread around the world even as more Natives are living or working abroad. And Germany has one of the most notorious and beloved, sometimes fiercely defended symbol named “Winnetou”, a stereotypical American Indian created by German author Karl May in the late 19th century.

Decades later, despite its inherent racism and colonial nature, the heavily Eurocentrized fictional native and his pseudo Apache tribe are still recreated in films spreading misinformation to new generations, reinforcing white privileged and supremacist systems and attitudes. Although surely not the intention, it is still culturally abusive practice that deliberately ignore Natives and others who object, and minimizes and/or dismisses multiple research studies on the harm of such behaviors to everyone in society. This must end.

“Just because it’s fiction, doesn’t mean it’s harmless.”

“Reeducating the resistant.”

 Recent promotional interviews:

What’s Going on? #Updates on #Documentary & The Journey of Living

by in Personal Entries | Leave a comment

So adjustment disorder is a thing? In addition to PTSD, anxiety, melancholia, depression and related disorders as diagnoses, all can be very different in people of color. It basically boils down to having lived a lifetime in other dominant societies who continually try to assimilate or control you to keep themselves comfortable, overtly/aggressively (verbal correction/admonishments, policies/laws, societal “norms”, biased policing) and covertly/passively (advertisement, historical amnesia in textbooks, media, etc.).

It is frustrating and exhausting to have to deal with such pressures day after day. So, that’s when you need to be around your people or people who don’t behave, react or think that way, or normalize such behavior. That’s when you need to sweat, to smudge, to pray, and I do it alone as the circumstances have it, but you need people who understand what you’re going through because they’ve gone through it. They know and you don’t even have to say.

This is my fifth year exclusively being in Germany, and close to the 15th where I’ve visited yearly for several months. The last decade was primarily for necessary medical treatment for my son, for his well-being and continuing mobility, which some don’t know about, besides his having Asperger’s syndrome and social disorders because of abyssmal treatment he received in school, from peers, medical staff, etc. He needs extra support, and by nature, the older they get, it remains so because people have less tolerance or understanding with an adult looking person with special challenges…and young people like him know that. Makes the anxiety worse.

All the while, people never asking any question, just assuming your motives or “who/what” you are, and I do get criticism questioning my commitment and connection to indigenous issues and peoples. All day and night that is with me. I consciously only work with native issues and rights, continuing my research and studies when I could have a successful position again as a chef or in a former profession. It’s almost physical pain to be away now, and my family are not in well health, yet it is still necessary at the moment. That’s life though! You keep going on the best you can and be happy with what you have, thankful for what you have while still working to achieve personal and collective goals. Continuing this journey.

Specifically though? Into August, entering post-production of the documentary I’m directing, Forget Winnetou: Going Beyond Native Stereotypes in Germany. Pleased to say upcoming I’m going to film a few more interviews, but learn more about this critically needed discussion by visiting the film website & following on social media.

15 June We’re at Humboldt University in Berlin- #RepresentationMatters: Decolonizing Indigeneity

by in Activism, Announcements, Berlin, Culture, Germany, Indigenous, Native American and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Free event.


“Headdresses at carnival, childhood games, books sold by the millions for generations: iconic colonial racist imagery such as Karl May’s fictional character Winnetou keeps shaping our distorted images of indigenous North American cultures and histories. Together with author, film maker and psychological counselor Red Haircrow and with Timo Kiesel, film maker (“White Charity” 2011) and member of glokal e.V. we will discuss how representation of indigenous people and First Nations in the Americas and Germany are entangled with the material reality of social inequality and indigenous struggles for sovereignty, environmental justice and survival.The event is bilingual and located on ground level.”

SPEAKERS Red Haircrow and Timo Kiesel, producers of the forthcoming documentary film “Forget Winnetou“
DATE June 15th, 6.30 pm
LOCATION Department of Social Sciences, HU Berlin, Universitätsstraße 3B, 002/003
fb: https://www.facebook.com/events/825440424287819/
Contact: studikreis@riseup.net


DEUTSCH Version
#RepresentationMatters: Decolonizing Indigeneity. June 15th | 6.30pm | UNI3B R002/003

“Karnevalskostüme, Kindheitsspiele, Bücher in Millionenauflage seit Generationen: Kolonialrassistische Imaginationen mit Kultstatus wie jene rund um den fiktionalen Charakter Winnetou von Karl May prägen unser verzerrtes Bild indigener nordamerikanischer Kulturen und Geschichten. Gemeinsam mit dem Autor, Filmemacher und psychologischen Berater Red Haircrow und mit Timo Kiesel, Filmemacher („White Charity“ 2011) und Mitglied bei glokal e.V. wollen wir diskutieren, wie fremd- und selbstbestimmte Repräsentation von indigenous people und First Nations in Deutschland und den Amerikas mit der materiellen Realität sozialer Ungleichheit und mit indigenen Kämpfen um Souveränität, environmental justice und Überleben verwoben ist. Der Workshop ist zweisprachig. Der Ort ist barrierefrei erreichbar.”

SPEAKERS Red Haircrow and Timo Kiesel, producers of the forthcoming documentary film “Forget Winnetou“
DATE June 15th, 6.30 pm
LOCATION Department of Social Sciences, HU Berlin, Universitätsstraße 3B, 002/003
Contact: studikreis@riseup.net

Wearable Support for Upcoming #Documentary “Forget Winnetou! Going Beyond Native Stereotypes in Germany”

by in Announcements, films and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Just a few examples of the different styles and colors available for our Teespring campaign (t-shirts, totes & mugs) Forget Winnetou Film Project (EU Locations). To help gain funds for completing, distributing and advertising our upcoming documentary, while giving supporters a visible way to raise awareness not only on the issue of native stereotyping and its effects, but also our film. Please visit and check out our storefront, products ship worldwide (US Locations order page)! 

“Forget Winnetou! Going Beyond Native Stereotypes in Germany” is a film project by Red Haircrow & Timo Kiesel.  It is currently in production, and will combine live-action scenes, interviews and news clips with native designs, graphics and short animated sequences.” Learn more about the film project and details by visiting our website forgetwinnetou.com.