Ten works by indigenous filmmakers from the Brazilian Amazon will be presented at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian through Sunday, May 11 during the Vídeo Amazônia Indígena: A View from the Villages film series. (The series began yesterday, May 6.) The showcase features a range of award-winning films that reflect contemporary village life in the Brazilian Amazon. In conjunction with the film series, there will be a community discussion with the founding directors and videomakers of the Vídeo nas Aldeias training workshops Saturday, May 10 at the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall. The screenings and discussions are free.

The museum’s Film + Video Center organized the film screenings to honor and celebrate the work of the independent media organization Vídeo nas Aldeias. VNA has supported, trained and produced the work of indigenous video makers from the Amazon of Brazil for the past 20 years. The independent media organization has received worldwide accolades for their ground breaking work, including the creation of an indigenous television show for local broadcast; circulation of videos throughout indigenous villages; and facilitation of workshops and national meetings of indigenous filmmakers.

In honor of Vídeo Amazônia Indígena: A View from the Villages, the documentary “From the Ikpeng Children to the World” will be screened daily throughout May at the museum. The video letter from four Ikpeng children illustrates their daily life through the filming of their family and celebrations. Directors Mari Corrêa and Karané Ikpeng present their latest feature “Pirinop, My First Contact” that documents the first encounters between the “white man” and the Ikpeng people in 1964. Other screenings include “We Struggle but We Eat Fruit,”directed by Bebito Piãko, which documents the efforts of the Ashaninka from the Apiwtxa village to preserve their lands and way of life that has been threatened by loggers. “Waterfall of the Jaguars,” by Vincent Carelli, covers the cultural revitalization project initiated by the leaders of the Tariano Indians following the impact of Christian missionaries.

The community discussion at the museum Saturday, May 10 at 4 p.m., “Video in the Villages Presents Itself,”features the founding directors and videomakers of Vídeo nas Aldeias. Representatives will discuss the work and future projects of Vídeo nas Aldeias while sharing the role that videomaking plays in the indigenous communities of the Brazilian Amazon.

Video Amazônia Indígena: A View from the Villages is funded in part by the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Brazilian Embassy and has received funds from New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Located in New York City and Washington, D.C., the Film and Video Center of the National Museum of the American Indian is an international leader in the presentation of indigenous film and video projects. National and international programs include the Native American Film and Video Festival, the annual Native Cinema Showcase in Santa Fe, N.M., and daily screenings for youth and general audiences. The center produces the bilingual Native Networks Web site with information about and resources on indigenous film, video and radio: www.nativenetworks.si.edu and www.redesindigenous.si.edu.