"Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective" at the Figge Art Museum -- March 20.
Sunday, March 20, 2 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
An Audience Award winner at Washington D.C.'s 2021 Environmental Film Festival and the recipient of the Best International Feature prize at the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival, the climate-change documentary Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective enjoys a March 20 screening at Davenport's Figge Art Museum, serving as the latest informative and entertaining presentation in River Action's QC Environmental Film Series.
As Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective argues, climate change is the most pressing issue we are facing in our lifetimes, though how we should deal with it is still being debated. It may appear that there are no viable solutions. But perhaps the answer lies in plain sight, because for hundreds of years, Native Americans have successfully managed their natural resources despite discrimination and forced colonization. Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective consequently takes viewers on a journey through deserts, coastlines, forests, mountains, and prairies to see how various Indigenous communities are restoring their ancient relationships with the land. We visit a Hopi farmer in Arizona growing crops without dependence on rainfall; the traditional Blackfeet herders of Montana are now managing the buffalo herds; the Karuk people of Northern California who have perfected controlled burnings in their forests; and Hawaiian natives who are reclaiming commercial plantations in exchange for food secure gardens. And as the film progresses, it becomes clear that as the climate crisis escalates, these time-tested practices of North America’s original inhabitants are becoming increasingly essential in our rapidly changing world.
Among Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective's creative team, co-director and cinematographer Costa Boutsikaris shot, directed, and edited his first feature documentary Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective in 2013. His film explored ecological design solutions across the Northeast United States, premiered in 2015, and subsequently screened in more than 30 countries and 25 film festivals, winning multiple awards. Since its release, Inhabit has won the Audience Choice Award at the Yale Environmental Film Festival and the Princeton Environmental Film Festival, and was awarded Best in Theme at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective's co-director and producer Anna Palmer, meanwhile, has been researching climate change on tribal areas in the American Southwest for many years. She has also developed strong working relationships with tribal members and research partners affiliated with the Native Waters on Arid Lands project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective will be presented at the Figge Art Museum at 2 p.m. on March 20, admission is free, and more information on the QC Environmental Film Series is available by calling (563)322-2969 and visiting RiverAction.org.
