NYC Climate Week Short Films & Panel: Indigenous Women Life Protectors

and , in partnership with the , , Dandelions, , and , invite you to an evening of short films and solidarity. Through powerful storytelling, the films explore the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the U.S., the defense of sacred waters in Guatemala, and the resilience of Indigenous women across Brazil’s biomes. Together, they reveal the deep connections between land, life, and the ongoing fight against environmental and gender-based violence.

Through the powerful voices and stories of , , , Elaine Yellow Horse, and , we will explore the critical roles Indigenous women play in safeguarding their lands and addressing the gender-based violence they face in their territories. As well as, centering the impact of Indigenous women-led storytelling in the film industry and communications strategies.

, esteemed filmmaker of the Tapajó people in the Amazon and the President of Midia Indigena Oficial, will guide this evening's conversation.

6:15pm • Doors Open

6:30-7:30 pm • Film Screening

7:30-8:30 pm • Panel Conversation + Q&A

8:30-9:00 pm • Closing

Venue & Space Accessibility: The film screening & panel will be held indoors at the Summer of Heat HQ, located at 32 Bridge St, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY.

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: Access is by train A/C/F, walking distance is 3 blocks. Elevator access.

RSVP is required, as spots are limited and are on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 50 registrants.

Light refreshments will be provided.

(2023) 18 min.

Directed by Prairie Rose Seminole and Katrina Lillian Sorrentino

"An Indigenous women’s motorcycle group rides to end the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women while a member of their community desperately searches for her missing sister and tries to heal her shattered family."

Cura De La Tierra (2021) 17 min.

Directed by Andrea Ixchíu and Federico Zuvire

"In the midst of extermination, Indigenous women make melody out of the struggle, we reclaim stolen land, we insist on celebrating our existence, we sow hope, because we are the earth healing itself”. The series of documentaries was released to show how “in times of pandemic, ecocide and genocide, Indigenous women who defend water and practice their spirituality are living alternatives to the climate crisis.”

Mulheres Indigenas Bioma (2024) 8 min.

Directed by Shirley Krenak

Shirley Krenak belongs to the Krenak people, and she is an activist and writer trained in Social Communication. She is the president of the Shirley Djukurnã Krenak Institute, which develops various activities in the environmental, educational, social, and cultural areas. Author of the book “The protective Jaguar'', she also coordinates the project “Sons que Curam” (Sounds that heal) whose essence captures the humming of birds and the noises of the forests, in order to promote the healing of hearing and the strengthening of the call of Mother Earth. She recently received an honorary doctorate by The Federal University of Juiz de Fora for her impact in the educational and activist world. Shirly Krenak is widely known in the indigenous movement fighting for native rights and land demarcation. She is one of the founders of ANMIGA – National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry, where she works and one of the “biome women ''. Internationally, Shirley Krenak has developed different projects regarding publication of books, sound projects, lectures, and more recently she became a strong voice against climate change, taking part in different conferences of the UN Organization.

Prairie Rose Seminole - Northern Cheyenne, Arikara and Dakota. Seminole is an educator, organizer, culture bearer and storyteller. She is the Co-Director of the film, We Ride For Her- a short documentary on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Seminole has served on the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, Midwest Advisory Board, and the Fargo Human Relations Commission. She currently serves on the Olamina Fund Advisory Board, the Midwest Innocence Project Board, Gender Justice US and Humanities ND and chairs the ND Native Caucus. Prairie Rose has been a part of efforts, institutions, and organizations that have seeded, supported, and strengthened public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement on local, state, and national levels. Prairie Rose grew up in North Dakota and is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of ND on the Fort Berthold Reservation. She lives with her partner, their 7 dogs and 10 horses in White Shield, ND.

K'iche, tree of the Forest, anti-patriarchal, journalist and indigenous storyteller (Mayan in exile) Indigenous coordinator @blackindigenousliberation and coordinator for international advocacy in Festivales Solidarios.

Maya K’iche Woman, Founder of K’iyarem Tiempo-Evolución to expand the Maya calendar (Guatemala)

Elaine Yellow Horse is a proud Oglala Lakota winyan and the daughter of Roberta “Marlette” Thunder Horse and Jamie Yellow Horse. She grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation, located in South Dakota, in the small community of Wounded Knee. After working as a tribal prosecutor, Elaine returned to school to pursue a law degree, which she completed at the University of South Dakota (J.D. ’22). Since graduating, Elaine has dabbled in the fields of tribal government, nonprofits, and higher education. Most recently, she has been offered a position at Oglala Lakota College toteach the Tribal law courses. While doing this, she is also working on her debut memoir, expected in early 2025. Elaine lives in Rapid City with her spouse and children. Everything she does is with the hope that her their generation will thrive.

is a global organization training frontline communities, individuals, and advocates using video and tech for human rights and earth defense. This special convening is led by the WITNESS U.S. Program team, as part of WITNESS’ #VideForEarth work in Abya Yala (Americas).

is a hemispheric initiative bringing together a coalition of black and indigenous communities, grassroots organizations and social movements supporting anti-racist and anti-colonial struggles in 22 Abya-Yala countries.

About the Partners:

is a revolutionary mobile cinema collective Cine Móvil asserting that cinema can and should exist everywhere: indoors, outdoors, public, private — any space where an audience can gather around a screen. Further, this mode of engagement should be free and accessible to all. We seek to reclaim the liberating qualities of cinema that have been lost to the dictates of capital interests and the intransigence of film industry careerists.

Festivales Solidarios: We are an organization that was originally formed and founded on the 4th of October 2012 in response to the “Alaska Massacre” against the city of Totonicapán, which was perpetrated by the Guatemalan state military who opened fire on a peaceful protest, leaving 7 people dead and 40 gravely wounded. We are a horizontally-organized collection of artists who are ceaselessly working to construct open spaces of resistance through art and its different manifestations as well as direct, non-violent action. We seek to build community through mutual aid and through color and sound, transform the violence imposed upon us.

Dandelions Network is a collective of Indigenous women, trans activists, and queer-feminists that fosters solidarity and collaboration across these communities. Rooted in intersectionality, the network seeks to foster connection with each other to dismantle the intertwined systems of colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy. Within the Dandelions Network, a team works to organize an annual encuentro and other gathering spaces that collect the network in person to build relationships, learn, and strategize together.

Host or Publisher WITNESS