The National Museum of the American Indian presents Answering the Call: Veterans Day Short Film Contest

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian presents the winners of the first-ever, “Answering the Call: Veterans Day Short Film Contest.” Earlier this year, the NMAI announced a call for entries for four-minute documentaries about Native American veterans that illustrate what participation in the military means to Native people. The museum welcomes you to share in these personal stories of an often complex and remarkable cultural history.

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 200911:30 a.m. & 3:30 p.m.Rasmuson Theater

Please visit the museum on Veterans Day to view screenings of these films and other works about Native American veterans.

The winning films below are viewable online through November 30, 2009.

Native Veteran
1st-Place Winner

Jack
(2009, 4 min.)
Director: Tom Roberts
Produced by Normal Life Pictures

Vietnam veteran Jack Menard, a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, struggles to reconcile his pride in having served in the U.S. military, with the knowledge that his regiment, the 7th Cavalry, had infamously murdered his own people at the Wounded Knee Massacre.

2nd-Place Winner

Repatriation of the Pawnee Scouts
(2009, 4 min.)
Director: George Burdeau (Blackfoot)
Producer: Jed Riffe

Veterans from the Pawnee Nation welcome home the remains of six U.S. Army Cavalry Pawnee Scouts that were held by the National Museum of Natural History for more than a hundred years.

3rd-Place Winner

I Am the Warrior
(2009, 3.5 min.)
Director: Gary Robinson (Choctaw/Cherokee decent)
Producer: Gary Robinson

A poetically told history of Native American participation in the U.S. military that demonstrates the continual tradition of defending one’s homeland.