Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival - Film Festival

Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival happens in Santa Fe, New Mexico at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino. Pathways consists of an indigenous art market, food, fashion showcase and an Indigenous film program that happens to be run by Indigenous people and on Pueblo lands. This FREE event is held on the 3rd week in August, which coincides with Indian Market Weekend, held in Santa Fe, NM.

The Pathways Indigenous Film Program is in its fourth year of screening indigenous films from around the world and creating panels about the art of indigenous filmmaking. This program has been a collaborative event with the Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program for the last three years and with the support of the Indigenous film community, we have seen an incredibly strong support for this program that has been shared with numerous indigenous films and brought indigenous filmmakers together for this three day event.

We are very fortunate to screen some of the best and highly decorated films to date. From Emmy nominated films such as “Prey” and “Long Line of Ladies” to critically acclaimed series like “Reservation Dogs”. This program has been able to host the cast and crews of these films and speak about their experiences, passions and stories. From actors and actresses such as Amber Midthunder, Dez Baa and Dakotah Beavers, to producers and directors such as Jhane Myers, Blackhorse Lowe, Shaandiin Tome, Peshawn Bread and Erica Tremblay. We have even been able to partner with outspoken Indigenous groups to create a dialog for films and activism, such as Illuminative and Pueblo Action Alliance. We want to give a platform for all and be inclusive.

All the films are a range of genres, from horror that create a new view on indigenous tales to documentary about events that affect our livelihood. We share stories about who we are, where we come from and create beautiful images that express a new found appreciation for film. When we started this program in 2021, we screened only 6 curated short films, the Sundance Indigenous Shorts Tour and held 4 panels. Coming on this past year, we are screening 12 curated films, 3 of which are from some of the leading studios.

We are extremely proud of this program and are growing immensely fast. This will be the fourth year and have expanded to an open call for more indigenous films! Our festival is free for all those that apply! In order to allow more films to screen and be able to change the narrative on what Indigenous storytelling can be, especially when it is our stories and our voices being heard.