The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center presents a special four-day film festival featuring 13 works by indigenous filmmakers of the Brazilian Amazon from Thursday, May 1 to Sunday, May 4. The festival includes a discussion with representatives from indigenous communities in the Amazon May 1 at 4 p.m. The screenings and the symposium are free.

The showcase, organized by the museum's Film and Video Center, celebrates the achievements of Vídeo Nas Aldeias, a support and distribution network that has trained indigenous people to create their own videos for 20 years. VNA's groundbreaking work has received accolades worldwide. "Vídeo Amazônia Indígena: A View from the Villages" includes such works as "From the Ikpeng Children of the World," a video letter from four Ikpeng children that documents their families, celebrations and way of life. Directors Mari Correa and Karane Ikpeng's latest feature, "Pirinop, My First Contact," documents the first encounter between the Ikpeng people and the "white man" in 1964. Other selected videos include "The Power of the dream" by Dicvino Tserewahu, which documents the long cycle of initiation ceremonies of the Xavante people, and "The Scent of Pequi Fruit" by Takumã and Maricã Kuikuro, a dramatic re-telling of a traditional folktale, where men, women, hummingbirds and alligators build a shared world.

Representatives from Brazilian indigenous communities will discuss the importance of their traditional knowledge, land rights, conservation and cultural continuity and share their perspectives about the future at the "Voices From the Brazilian Amazon" symposium. Indigenous videomakers from the Brazilian Amazon and the founders of the Video in the Villages project in Brazil also will discuss the role of video in advocacy and cultural preservation.

"Vídeo Amazônia Indígena: A View from the Villages" is presented in conjunction with Amazônia Brasil, a multicultural exhibition that brings the wealth and knowledge of the Amazon Forest to New York City from April 17 to July 13.

The film festival is funded in part by the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Brazilian Embassy.

The Film and Video Center of the National Museum of the American Indian is a leader in the presentation of indigenous film and video projects. National and international programs include the Native American Film and Video Festival, annual Native Cinema Showcase in Santa Fe, N.M., and daily screenings for youth and general audiences. FVC produces the bilingual Native Networks Web site with information about and resources for indigenous film, video and radio: www.nativenetworks.si.edu and www.redesindigenas.si.edu. Media information is provided through the Web site, by phone and e-mail; on-site research and video viewing are available by appointment.

The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian's George Gustav Heye Center is located at One Bowling Green in New York City, across from Battery Park. The museum is free and open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays until 8 p.m. Call (212) 514-3700 for general information and (212) 514-3888 for a recording about the museum's public programs. By subway, the museum may be reached by the 1 to South Ferry, the 4 or 5 to Bowling Green or the R or W to Whitehall Street. The museum's Web site is www.americanindian.si.edu.

SI-137-2008