This week, Vision Maker Media takes a culinary journey with Loretta Barrett Oden, a renowned Native American chef, food historian and lecturer, and proud woman of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. "Seasoned with Spirit: Food Upon the Water" combines Native American history and culture with delicious, healthy recipes inspired by indigenous foods. Much more than simply … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks – Seasoned With Spirit: Food Upon the Water

In this week's featured Vision Maker Media film, filmmaker Lena Carr documents her niece's Kinaaldá -- a Navajo celebration of the transition from childhood to womanhood that the filmmaker herself was unable to experience. In documenting the four-day coming-of-age ceremony, Carr provides a rare insider's look at Navajo culture and the complexities of growing up … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks – Kinaalda: Navajo Rite of Passage

In 1980, Jerry Richardson, a 24-year-old black man from East Texas who had just finished college in Louisiana, took a job coaching the varsity girls' basketball team in the depressed Navajo town of Shiprock, New Mexico. The Lady Chieftains launch themselves on a journey towards victory -- but success comes at a cost, and behind-the-scenes … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks: Rocks With Wings

"You never knew what you were going to face ... you were with a bunch of women that could handle anything." This week's Vision Maker Media film, "Apache 8," tells the story of an all-women wildland firefighter crew from the White Mountain Apache Tribe, who have been fighting fires in Arizona and throughout the U.S. … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks: Apache 8

All sculptor John Houser wanted to do was build the largest bronze equestrian statue in the world -- but art doesn't exist in a vacuum, as explored in this week's featured Vision Maker Media film. "The Last Conquistador" tells the story of how the city of El Paso's decision to commission Houser's statue of Spanish … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks: The Last Conquistador

Learn more about the struggle for Alaskan Native civil rights in this week's featured Vision Maker Media film, "For the Rights of All: Ending Jim Crow in Alaska." This blend of documentary and drama depicts a growing activist movement for citizenship, voting rights, and school desegregation, culminating in the Senate testimony of activist of Tlingit … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks – For the Rights of All: Ending Jim Crow in Alaska

This week, Vision Maker Media presents the acclaimed international documentary that reunited a family and triggered a federal investigation into uranium contamination, "The Return of Navajo Boy." The award-winning film chronicles an incredible struggle for environmental justice through the story of the Cly family, who appeared in a silent 1950s film titled The Navajo Boy. The … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks: The Return of Navajo Boy

Last week's featured Indian Country Diaries film presented the story of urban Indian life in Los Angeles. This week's documentary,  "Spiral of Fire," takes us to the other side of the country and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on their reservation in North Carolina. Choctaw writer LeAnne Howe takes us on a journey to … Continue reading Forty Years, Forty Films, Forty Weeks – Indian Country Diaries: Spiral of Fire