A special showing of the 1998 film, Smoke Signals, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in 1322 Jamrich Hall at Northern Michigan University. Liana Loonsfoot will be the guest speaker. This free event is sponsored by the NMU Center for Native American Studies and the Native American experience course. To support local tribes, attendees are encouraged to bring new or lightly used winter clothing donations. 

The film follows two young Native Americans, Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire, as they navigate the American West searching for the cremated remains of Victor’s recently-deceased father. The two characters must try to maintain their Native identity while experiencing the differences of life outside of the reservation.

Smoke Signals has won numerous awards, including best film at the American Indian Film Festival in 1998, the Filmmaker’s Trophy and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and a special recognition for excellence in filmmaking from the National Board of Review.

For more information, contact the Center for Native American Studies at 227-1397.