Commonwealth College Film Series
Movie showings take place Mondays
at 7:00 pm in 504 Goodell. Films are free and open to all Commonwealth College members and their friends. Snacks and refreshments will be served prior to the showing.
Please RSVP to events@comcol.umass.edu by the Sunday prior to the showing.
Fall 2009
Monday, September 21, 7pm
 Smoke Signals (1998)
Set in Arizona, Smoke Signals is the story of two Indian boys on a journey.
Victor (Adam Beach) is the stoic, handsome son of an alcoholic father who
has abandoned his family. Thomas (Evan Adams) is a gregarious, goofy young
man who lost both his parents in a fire at a very young age. Through
storytelling, Thomas makes every effort to connect with the people around
him; Victor, in contrast, uses his quiet countenance to gain strength and
confidence. When Victor's estranged father dies, the two men embark on an
adventure to Phoenix to collect the ashes. Along the way, Smoke Signals
illustrates the ties that bind these two very different young men and
embraces the lessons they learn from one another.
Monday, September 28, 7pm
 American Outrage (2007)
Director: Beth Gage and George Gage
Two grandmothers, Carrie Dann and Mary Dann, have been at the forefront of
the Western Shoshone Nation's struggle for land rights and sovereignty for
nearly forty years. American Outrage documents their fight against the U.S.
government's unlawful attempts to take over traditional Shoshone land in
Nevada, part of 60 millions acres guaranteed to them in the 1863 Treaty of
Ruby Valley. Over the years the Dann sisters have endured steady harassment
from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and they have squared off against
international gold mining corporations and the nuclear industry. Their
courage and perseverance in asserting the rights of indigenous peoples have
brought them numerous awards, including the 1993 Alternative Nobel Prize and
the International Right Livelihood Award.(taken from Native Networks).
Monday, October 5, 7pm
 Trudell (2005)
In Trudell, filmmaker Heather Rae presents the engaging life story of Native
American poet-prophiet-activist John Trudell and his heartfelt message of
active, personal responsibility to the earth, all of its inhabitants, and
our descendents.(taken from www.trudellthemovie.com).
Monday, October 19, 7pm
 Skins (2002)
Rudy Yellow Lodge is an investigator with the police department and
witnesses firsthand the painful legacy of Indian existence. Although rampant
unemployment, alcoholism and domestic violence are the norm for many
reservation inhabitants, Rudy has largely escaped this cycle of despair. His
brother Mogie, however, has not. Now faced with the discovery of a bloodied
body, a flaming liquor store just off native land that sells millions of
cans of beer a year to the native population, and his brother's ongoing
self-destruction, Rudy goes on a quest to avenge himself, his family, and
his culture and to seek justice. Written by Sujit R. Varma.
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