Norman, Okla. – Several feature and short films, plus panel discussions, will explore the deep-rooted and dynamic link between land and indigenous cultural identity.

The second annual Native Crossroads Film Festival is set for Thursday, Feb. 27 through Saturday, March 1 at the Norman campus of the University of Oklahoma.

The festival pairs screenings of short films with roundtable discussions intended to inspire conversations among filmmakers, campus scholars, community and tribal organization representatives, writers and performers.

Highlights of the festival include the Oklahoma debuts of three major motion pictures concerned with indigenous connections to place: Winter in the Blood, The Lesser Blessed and Satellite Boy.

Keynote speaker Winona LaDuke (Mississippi Band Anishinaabe), a nationally renowned advocate for environmental activism, sustainable development, and indigenous land rights, will speak 4:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 28.

Feature films screened include:

“The Lesser Blessed,” 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, Kerr Auditorium, Sam Noble Natural History Museum. Q&A with writer Richard Van Camp to follow.

Based on the novel by Richard Van Camp (Tlicho Dene), “The Lesser Blessed” is the story of Larry Sole, a Tlicho Indian growing up in the small northern town of Fort Simmer. At 16, he loves heavy metal, the North and Juliet Hope. Starring Joel Evans and Benjamin Bratt, “The Lesser Blessed” is an eye-opening depiction of what it is to be a young Native man in a remote Northern community.

“Satellite Boy,” 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 28, Kerr Auditorium, Sam Noble Natural History Museum. Q&A with writer and director Catriona McKenzie (Australian Aboriginal Kurnai) to follow. The film tells the story of an abandoned, 10-year-old Pete (Cameron
Wallaby), who lives with his elderly grandfather, Jagamarra (David Gulpilil), in a deserted outdoor cinema of outback town Wyndham, Australia. When his grandfather’s home is threatened with demolition, Pete sees his world in jeopardy and, with his best friend, Kalmain (Joseph Pedley), sets off for the city. Together the boys travel through epic Kimberley country, and when they get lost in the bush, Pete and Kalmain find true friendship. Starving and thirsty, Pete must remember some of the traditional bush skills his grandfather taught him in order to survive.

“Winter in the Blood,” 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 1, Kerr Auditorium, Sam Noble Natural History Museum. Q&A with co-director Alex Smith to follow. “Winter in the Blood” is based on the novel by James Welch (Blackfeet and Gros Ventre) about contemporary Native American life, first published in 1974. The film was shot on the Hi-Line in northern Montana, and was directed by Alex and Andrew Smith. Virgil First Raise embarks on a wild and darkly comic odyssey to retrieve his renegade wife— and the beloved rifle she stole. He ultimately finds himself. The film stars Chaske Spencer, David Morse and Julia Jones.

For more information or accommodations on the basis of disability, contact Karl Schmidt at (405) 325-6639.  For a complete schedule of screenings and locations, visit our webpage cas.ou.edu/native-crossroads.