Native Spirit Foundation are excited to bring the Native Spirit Film Festival (NSFF) back for its 15th year. As an entirely volunteer-run, not-profit organisation we value any help we can receive in promoting Indigenous films and filmmakers.
Native Spirit Festival is the UK's first and only annual Independent festival to promote Native Filmmakers, Media and Artists, with increasing focus on Narrative Sovereignty. The festival is part of Native Spirit Foundation, founded in 2005 by Mapuche leader Freddy Trequil to promote knowledge and awareness of Indigenous cultures and longer term projects supporting Community-run education in Native Schools. Freddy states "All the [activists] have come to the conclusion that one objective of making video, radio and television is for the other culture to know us. It is necessary to create a bridge to share our culture in an educational form, without losing our identity."
Native Spirit Taiwan established 2019
15th Native Spirit Festival #NSFF2021 (online & in-person) launches on 12th October (Indigenous Peoples Day Americas) and runs to November celebrating Native American Heritage Month and International Inuit Day, 7 November.
All styles of film and storytelling welcome:
—EXPERIMENTAL
—SCI-FI
—HORROR
—FUTURE GENERATIONS (age under 20yrs)
—MUSIC
—DANCE
—#microINDIGENOUS (5 minutes and under —options to stream on microIndigenous showcase channel, +Waiver Code for MicroManiaFF 2022
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Previous NSF programmes: https://issuu.com/nativespirituk
Native Spirit is a non-competitive festival
IMPORTANT — PLEASE RESPECTFULLY NOTE: To be eligible for submission, a Native person must have a designated and genuine key creative role as Director; or Producer and Screenwriter. This must be clearly stated in the Custom Form and Synopsis.
*non-English language films must have English subtitles hardcoded to your video file to be eligible.
*It is the responsibility of all filmmakers submitting titles to NSFF to ensure they have received clearance from Rights holders of all archive film, stills and music used in the film. NSFF will not be responsible for any rights not cleared in films that are screened as part of NSFF Film Festival.
All media submitted to Native Spirit Festival will be considered by the Festival’s selection team. Films are selected on the basis that the values presented align with that of Native Spirit Foundation’s work. Native Spirit Festival is a charitable project and therefore a non-commercial festival run by dedicated volunteers.
Submitted Films may also be invited to screen at Native Spirit Taiwan and/or at year-round Outreach events in UK.
PROTOCOLS & GUIDES FOR NON-NATIVE FILMMAKERS (available online)
Pathways & Protocols: A filmmaker’s guide to working with Indigenous people, culture and concepts, Terri Janke, Screen Australia 2009
On-Screen Protocols & Pathways: A Media Production Guide to Working with First Nations, Métis and Inuit Communities, Cultures, Concepts and Stories, ISO Canada, 2019