Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting
Aviva Kempner
Ben West
United States, 2022, 95 min.
In English.
Includes violence and adult language.
AIFF Award Winner:
Special Jury Award tor Activist Filmmaking
Imagining the Indian is a comprehensive examination of the movement to eradicate the words, images, and gestures that many Native Americans and their allies find demeaning and offensive. The film takes a deep dive into the issues through archival footage and interviews with those involved in the fight. The psychological research is clear: the use of Native American mascots is detrimental, not only to Native people, but to marginalized groups everywhere.
Category: Documentary, Award Winner.
Themes: Native American, Sports.
Saturday, April 22
The Screening Room
2:00pm
Filmmaker in Attendance
More in Documentary
-
Middle Grounds
Kevin Smokler & Christopher Boone
United States, 2026, 27 min.A documentary short about Bison Coffeehouse, a Northeast Portland hub for coffee, community, and conversation — things that unite us when so much divides... more ›
-
The Sinks
Jacob Staudenmaier
United States, 2026, 16 min.A small band from Tucson - comprised of four best friends - plays their final show at the end of college... more ›
-
My Grandmother is a Skydiver
Polina Piddubna
Germany, 2025, 13 min.In 1960s Tajikistan, a skydiver gets a call from her granddaughter in 2022 Ukraine, sparking an intergenerational journey through trauma, memory and identity... more ›