Vision Maker Film Festival Presents: Everything is Connected
In honor of Vision Maker Media’s 50th anniversary, the 2026 festival runs all year long with the theme “Everything is Connected,” an expression that reflects the harmony, balance, and interconnectedness of life. “Everything is Connected” is a core concept in many Indigenous practices, reflecting the belief that land, sky, environment, and people exist in interwoven relationship – not as separate entities, but as a balanced, co-existing whole. Each month brings a new selection of powerful films.
Ways We Are Connected:
Connected by Heritage: Heritage refers to the ways of life, knowledge, and practices that are passed down and actively carried forward by a community. It includes language, art, stories, ceremony, and ways of knowing that connect people to their ancestors, land, and values. Through heritage, communities honor their past by continuing traditions, reinforcing their identity, and strengthening who they are.
Connected by Generations: Generational connection links ancestors, the present, and those yet to come. It reflects responsibility, reciprocity, and balance—ensuring knowledge, values, and cultural continuity are protected for future generations.
Connected by Resilience: Resilience reflects the strength of Native peoples in the face of colonization, displacement, and cultural suppression. It lives in language preservation, cultural survival, family and community bonds, and the ongoing defense of identity, sovereignty, and traditional knowledge.
Connected by Subsistence: Subsistence activities — like hunting, fishing, gathering, and farming — do more than feed people. They connect communities to seasons, land, and knowledge passed down over generations. These practices sustain both daily life and cultural identity.
Connected by Holders of Knowledge: Elders and cultural knowledge keepers carry language, stories, and teachings that guide community life. Their wisdom is honored, and through their mentorship and care, cultural practices and responsibilities are passed on.
Connected by Health & Wellness: Health is understood holistically — spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Wellness is supported through community, cultural foodways, ceremonies, traditional healing, and relationships with the land.
Connected by Community: Community is rooted in shared identity, mutual responsibility, and interdependence. Families, clans, and tribal networks support one another, uphold cultural values, share knowledge, and work together for collective well-being.
Connected by Experience: Knowledge is shaped through lived experiences and collective histories. These shared experiences encompass both struggle and perseverance, help teach identity, encourage agency and self-determination, and affirm a community’s right to represent themselves.
Connected by Relationships to Land & Place: Indigenous peoples often describe land as a relative rather than a resource. Land holds history, identity, and responsibility. This connection is ancestral and spiritual, reflecting a relationship built on care, reciprocity, and belonging.
Watch in July
In-Person Screening July 13th at The Ross
Without Arrows
Get free tickets at:
https://theross.org/events/native-american-film-series/
Online Schedule
Story Pole
The Bears on Pine Ridge – Viewer Discretion Advised!
iNative Shorts for Kids
For Young Learners
DISCOVER, LEARN, AND EXPLORE WITH iNATIVE SHORTS FOR KIDS!
Native stories and Indigenous knowledge through film and media.
The “iNative Shorts for Kids” is for elementary children, their educators and families to watch short extracts from a rich collection of films about Native American and Alaska Native Tribal heritages, people, and places. One can:
- Learn and deepen an understanding and appreciation of Native heritages, arts, foods, Indigenous science, and traditional knowledge.
- Find fun through educational activities and a facilitator’s guide to enhance the learning experience.
- Discover something new or little known about Native Americans.
Monthly themed sets are for either grades 1 through 3 or grades 4 through 6.