Discover the Trailblazing Film Almost Ancestors

UPDATE

Please enjoy this podcast featuring two stars from the film, Sheila Hollow Horn and Bertram Tsavadawa, also the film's cultural advisor, who talked about the Almost Ancestors film, the varied stories about our four-legged relatives that come from various tribes, and why they care about protecting wolves:

https://thewolfconnection.buzzsprout.com/1081496/12740196-episode-122-sheila-hollow-horn-and-bertram-tsavadawa-almost-ancestors

THE FILM

Experience the poignant parallel paths of displacement experienced by Mexican gray wolves and indigenous peoples in Almost Ancestors, the powerful new short film from Lobos of the Southwest. Award-winning filmmaker Brišind brings a sensitive touch to this thought-provoking story, shedding light on serious subjects that demand attention.

The Story:

Embark on a journey with a young Hopi woman as she fights to protect her connection to the land and her family amidst a rapidly changing landscape. Witness her bond with a lobo and her quest for community on an incredible journey to a sacred place called home.

Almost Ancestors is a powerful film, presented in English and the Hopi language with subtitles, filmed in Arizona with a Hopi cultural advisor on set to ensure cultural accuracy. This compelling story sheds light on the displacement of lobos and indigenous cultures and will inspire you to take action and change the course of history.

Don't miss the chance to support this captivating tale.

How Donations will be Used:

Help Almost Ancestors reach a global audience by donating to supplement production fees, distribution, and marketing. Your support will also bring the film to underserved communities and schools, where funding will help develop a corresponding curriculum about lobos, endangered species, and the importance of a wolf treaty for indigenous communities.

To date, the film is an official selection of:

Red Nation Film Festival

Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival

Latino & Native American Film Festival

Show Low Film Festival- Arizona White Mountains Film Festival (Award Winner);

Seattle Filmmaker Awards

Nature Without Borders International Film Festival

Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival

Wildlife Conservation Film Festival

Nature Without Borders International Film Festival

Best Shorts Competition

Why You Want to Donate:

1. Protect cultural heritage: Donate to Almost Ancestors to help establish an inter-tribal wolf coalition and preserve the traditional knowledge and cultural heritage of indigenous communities in the Southwest.

2. Save endangered species: Support Almost Ancestors and its wolf treaty to protect the Mexican gray wolf, one of the most endangered mammal species in the world, and preserve the ecological balance and biodiversity of the region.

3. Inspire future generations: By donating to Almost Ancestors, you can help create school curricula and companion materials that educate and inspire young people to take action and create a healing future for wolves and tribes in the Southwest.

How You Can See the Film

Join us for a special online screening of Almost Ancestors, followed by an engaging Q&A session exclusively for donors. Once we have 100 donors, we will host an online screening.

Stay informed on the latest festivals and screening times by signing up for the Lobos of the Southwest newsletter. You'll also receive dedicated content about the film, lobos, and other exciting updates.

Don't miss your chance to experience this powerful film and connect with others passionate about protecting indigenous cultures and endangered species. Visit https://mexicanwolves.org/almost-ancestors/ to sign up now.

This link will also provide an opportunity to donate to those who wish to use another platform.

Almost Ancestors shares many powerful stories and messages, including:

• Mexican gray wolves are essential. Thriving wolf families ensure healthy landscapes that support human families too. Lobos need the freedom to roam and connect with other wolves without unnatural boundaries. Likewise, human families, including indigenous families, need the freedom to travel traditional pathways and come together in community. We need bridges, not borders, and welcome mats, not walls.

• Indigenous communities and lobos have been violently displaced from their ancestral lands. They have a right to return, a right to safety, and a right to the intricate relationships they have with the places they call home.

• You can support a healing future for wolves and indigenous communities. In acknowledging the wrongs of the past and speaking out about the injustice in our present moment, you can be part of a future that respects all generations' lives, freedom, safety, and rights.

Cast and Crew

Director/Writer: Brišind

Director of Photography: Anthony Stengel

Cultural Director: Bertram Tsavadawa

Language Consultant: Anita Poleahla

Cultural Advisers: Lee Wayne Lomayestewa (Hopi Bear Clan Chief), Ben Nuvamsa (Hopi Bear Clan Elder), Ronald Wadsworth (Hopi Tribe Cultural Committee Member)

Director/Writer Brišind has won various awards, from the City of Albuquerque to the Tokyo International Film Festival. His short film, Not In Our Name, about the significance of the grizzly bear in Tribal cultures, is one of the only films ever to be entered into the Congressional record of the United States. In addition, Brišind's films have been featured across various national and international media. In addition to filmmaking, he is a bestselling author. His current book, Psycho/Pathogen, is now an international Amazon bestseller.

Director's Statement:

We use a line in the film about "the symbiosis of sorrow" shared by Tribal people and lobos. Historical amnesia has terminal consequences not just for us but all living things. Look around; what do you see happening to the Earth? Healing and a pathway to the perpetuation of life begin with remembering. Almost Ancestors is a visual genetic memory with a narrative spoken in a dialect rooted in time immemorial, the Hopi language. We must remember. Our future survival depends upon it.

Lead Actor Sheila Hollow Horn is Dineh and Oglala Lakota and was born and raised in Tuba City on the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Sheila has numerous Hopi family members. Hollow Horn has worked in various Native American publications, magazines, and films since she was eight, including "Women of the Navajo." Sheila's mainstream national acting debut was on the Cooking Channel's popular show, The Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia. Since then, she has appeared in independent films like More Than Frybread and in top-rated TV shows, including Longmire (Robert Taylor/Zahn McClarnon/Lou Diamond Phillips). In addition, Sheila has been a cover model for numerous magazines and has promoted and represented Tribal talent in an agency capacity with her Redlands Nativez, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Female Supporting Actor Colleen Biakeddy plays the part of the mother. Colleen's resume includes participating in the upcoming HBO production, Killers of the Flower Moon.

Male Lead Actor Bertram Tsavadawa is a veteran of the Nat Geo/Discovery style documentary features. Bertram recently appeared in the popular series Ancient Aliens.

Arwen, the remarkable "actor" playing the role of the Mexican Gray Wolf. As an endangered species, a lobo could not be used for filming, but we are grateful to Don Brauer for his collaboration and Arwen's captivating portrayal. This beautiful high, content wolf dog and her performance is a testament to the film's dedication and reverence for this vital subject matter.

In Gratitude

We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support in our mission to distribute and promote this vital film on a large scale. Your contribution is invaluable in bringing this important message to a wider audience and positively impacting our world. Thank you for being a crucial part of our journey.