Native film directors, actors, and writers made an impression on UAF, during the Native Revolution Film Festival ’07. The Wood Center Ballroom played host to the program, Friday and Saturday evening, showing films that highlighted the life of the indigenous peoples of the world; brought to us by Native Movement, a not-for-profit organization for the awareness, advocacy, and action of the native community.

Both a modern and traditional depiction of aboriginal life was viewed by the eager and interested audience in attendance. Films such as “Conversion,” “Arctic Son,” “First Contact,” “Seeking Biimaadiziiwin” and “Journals of Knud Rasmussen” conveyed the changing customs of the Native peoples during the clash of cultures they experienced during the days of European colonization and the aftermath of the cultural disruption for the generations after that period. The films “Milepost 398,” “But Why?” “The Tide is Turning” and “The History of the Inupiat: 1961: The Duck-In” focused on contemporary issues and the involvement of the new governments of the colonists imposing regulations on the way of life for the indigenous populations.

The films were both intense and moving, showing their subject matter in a powerful and un-insulated fashion. The audience discussed the films among themselves during the intermissions, excited for the next film to begin while they enjoyed the refreshments provided by the organizers of the festival. The turnout was about the amount expected by the hosts, numbering a little more than twenty individuals. At the end of the show, the organizers received a round of applause as they thanked everyone for coming. It was a powerful and entertaining way to spend an evening.