Swaia - Indian Market

Official Press Release
Image Driven
SWAIA Welcomes the Filmmakers

(SANTA FE, NM) The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) is now accepting submissions for Classification X: A Moving Images Awards Category for the 2011 Santa Fe Indian Market scheduled for August 20-21. SWAIA invites Native filmmakers to submit films into one of four Classification X Divisions: Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animation Short and Experimental Short. Winners in each division will have their films screened at the Santa Fe Indian Market's film related events, and have the opportunity to compete for the coveted Best of Show Award.

Since its introduction earlier this year, the film category has been huge success. Filmmaker, Blackhorse Lowe, won the 2010 Indian Market's Best of Show Award for his narrative short film, Shimansani. The 2011 competition is expected to attract Native filmmakers from all over the country once again.

The Santa Fe Indian Market Awards Program invites art experts and collectors to Santa Fe to judge more than 1,000 artist entries and distribute over $100,000 in prize money in numerous categories to SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market artists. Awards are given to recognize an artist's dedication and skill in working with traditional materials and techniques, as well as experimentation with new media and innovative art forms.

Moving Image Division Descriptions

Division A: Narrative Shorts
Short subject narrative moving images are non-commercial motion pictures that are no longer than 30 minutes. These tell a complete narrative story. It cannot be an excerpted story from a longer project unless the shorter edited version can stand on its own.

Division B: Documentary Shorts
A documentary short is a broad category of visual expressions that "document" reality in 30 minutes or less to include video and film.

Division C: Animation
Animation shorts are the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. Entries can only be of one story and must be no longer than 30 minutes. This can include Anime, Classic 2D, Rotoscoping, Stop Motion and flash animators.

Division D: Experimental
Experimental film or experimental cinema describes a range of filmmaking styles that are generally quite different from, and often opposed to "Avant-garde" is also used to describe this work, and "underground" has been used in the past, though it has also had other connotations. An "experimental film" is often characterized by the absence of linear narrative, the use of various abstracting techniques (out of focus, painting or scratching on film, rapid editing), the use of asynchronous (non-diegetic) sound or even the absence of any sound track.

Are you a Native Film Maker?
Use the Class X application for Santa Fe Indian Market
Download Class X Application PDF

For more information please contact John Torres-Nez at
(505) 983-5220 or jtorreznez@swaia.org