How can I get information about films and videos screened by NMAI?

The easiest place to start is the Titles section. A link to it is found on the Native Networks welcome page and at the top of every page on the Website. The Titles section includes a list of all films shown by the museum since 2001, with links to brief film descriptions. Titles also links to a PDF describing works shown in the Native American Film and Video Festivals of 1995, 1997, and 2000. You can enter here for Titles.

How can I get a copy of a video?

The productions described on this Website are works screened by the Film and Video Center (FVC) of the National Museum of the American Indian in its numerous festivals and programs. FVC does not loan, rent, or sell videos or other media.

Most of these works—documentaries, short features, animations, experimental films—are available for purchase or rental from an educational film or video distributor. Each film and video screened at NMAI since 2001 has a title page which is found by clicking on a film or video title in the list of works in the Titles section. Distributor information appears in the right-hand column on the title page under the heading "To obtain a copy of this work or for more information:". For works screened before 2001, in the Native American Film and Video Festivals of 1995, 1997 and 2000, a PDF lists the films, and the distributor's name appears below each film description.

Feature films are sometimes available only for theatrical or festival screenings, or may be distributed to individuals through video stores and other commercial sources which can be found on the Internet.

For distribution information about productions not listed on the Native Networks Website, please use the site's Contact Us feature.

Can I see a video at the museum?

There are several ways to view films at NMAI, including regularly scheduled programs in both New York City and Washington, D.C. Enter here to see what's showing.

Individual viewers or groups of up to five may view videos without an appointment in the NMAI Resource Centers in New York and Washington D.C. Each Resource Center media library, selected in cooperation with FVC, consists of more than 200 works drawn from the past 25 years of film and video by and about Native Americans. Other media are also included in these collections, such as music and educational CDs and audio cassettes.

A catalog of the works in the Resource Centers is available on site. To check the availability of a particular title, as well as summer hours and holiday schedule, call the Resource Center Public Information lines: 212-514-3799 (New York) and 201-633-6900 (Washington, D.C.)

The NMAI media collection contains more than 1500 film, video, and radio productions dating from 1979 to the present, produced in North, Central, and South America, the Arctic Circle, and the Pacific Rim. The museum's Media Archives houses the masters of these productions and video and audio documentation, produced by the museum since 1990, of events and interviews with Native American artists, curators, and media makers.

Researchers can view productions at the Film and Video Center and discuss their projects with center staff in New York and Washington, D.C. by appointment, as well as view works at the Media Archives at the NMAI Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland, by appointment. While not all productions described on the Native Networks Website are available for on-site viewing, many additional films and videos in the NMAI media collection may be viewed. Use Native Networks' Contact Us feature to send an inquiry about doing media research at the museum.

What is the date of the next Native American Film and Video Festival? Can I get a call for entries?

The date for the next festival has not yet been set.

The Film and Video Center also invites new works for preview at any time for consideration for the many FVC programs throughout the year. To download a preview form enter here.

How can I get in touch with a filmmaker?

You can send an email to a filmmaker by using Contact Us. FVC will forward your email to the filmmaker.