Profile | American Indian Film Institute

LOCATION: USA/San Francisco

The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) is a non-profit media arts center founded in 1979 to foster understanding of the culture, traditions and issues of contemporary Native Americans. American Indians have had an uneasy relationship with the media industry since the origins of film over 100 years ago. The quintessential 20th century art form has created and perpetuated enduring stereotypes that are at best tedious, and at worst profoundly erosive to the self-image of generations of Native Americans. Yet the ability of this art form to weaken and erode is matched by its power to heal and strengthen. In film we find a tool to preserve and record our heritage, and a vehicle for Indians and non-Indians alike to "unlearn" damaging stereotypes and replace them with multi-dimensional images that reflect the complexity of Native peoples. Our organization's roots stretch back to 1975 when the first American Indian Film Festival was presented in Seattle. In 1977, the festival was relocated to San Francisco, where it found its permanent home. The American Indian Film Institute was incorporated in 1979, with the late actor Will Sampson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) among its founding members. Today, AIFI is the major Native American media and cultural arts presenter in California, and its festival is the world's oldest and most recognized international film exposition dedicated to Native American cinematic accomplishment.