By provoking cross-cultural identifications, the art of cinema can help create the possibility for meaningful social change.
The Virginia Dares Cinematic Arts Awards promotes and celebrates the possibilities of decolonizing / re-indigenizing films and media.
These awards are open to entrants worldwide, be they artists, activists, educators or students.
The 1st event launched on Nov. 13, 2020. With COVID-19 restrictions, the 27 officially-selected entries were showcased virtually throughout November.
In Dec. 2021, we held a free public screening of the 5 award-winners in the American Indian and Indigenous Cultural Center (AIICC) on the Virginia Tech campus.
Our 3rd event--another free public screening at the AIICC--will be held on March 21, 2023.
This ALL VOLUNTEER event is a collaboration between faculty and students in Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts, the American Indian Studies program, and VT's School of Visual Arts.
ALL entry fees are either waived or paid out as awards. NO money is carried forward, spent on the events, or paid to the organizers.
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What is "decolonizing / re-indigenizing media?" You tell us!
There's also this:
In 'On the Coloniality of Being,' Nelson Maldonado-Torres refers to decolonization as “a confrontation with the racial, gender, and sexual hierarchies that were put in place or strengthened by European modernity as it colonized and enslaved populations throughout the planet” (page 261).
In 'Decolonizing Feminism,' Margaret A. McLaren writes: “Common threads running through… articulations of decoloniality... are attention to both micro- and macro-political structures; a sense of historical consciousness and specificity; a commitment to liberatory practices and values; and an awareness of the effects of colonization not only as political, historical, and economic forces but also as effects on consciousness, theories, research practices, epistemological frameworks, and ways of knowing. Each thread contributes to the overall understanding of decolonization.”
Also: We're aware of the irony.... Just know that your film doesn't have to be in English. It doesn't even need English subtitles. We hope you enter work that helps broaden 'the language of cinema.'
The 3rd Virginia Dares Cinematic Arts Awards for Decolonizing Film and Media Projects offers Official Selection to the festival and at least 5 small cash awards for work in the following categories:
Fiction
Non-Fiction under 20 minutes
Non-Fiction over 20 minutes
Animation
Experimental
Who should enter?
Artists and activists, educators and students, worldwide!
