Login

Gallup City Council Endorses Gallup Film Festival

Print

The Gallup City Council on June 27 unanimously passed a proclamation in support of the 2017 Gallup Film Festival scheduled for September 14-16 in the downtown on West Coal Avenue.

“This is our fifth year of the film festival,” said Knifewing Segura who directs the annual event.  “In our first year we had three film submissions.  Each year we offer something
new.”

The prominent film to be screened at this year’s festival is Light Dancing Production’s ‘The Watchman’s Canoe’ written and directed by Barri Chase. Actors Roger Willie and Adam Beach are featured in this film about a fair-skinned Native American girl who struggles to fit in with her peers on an Indian reservation.

The film festival has nearly 60 submissions for this year’s end of summer three-day event.  Some of the 19 categories include comedy short, animated short, short, drama feature, documentary feature, and foreign feature.

Few of last year’s winners include The Rebound, Honor Riders, both documentary features, Monster Slayer, a language preservation film, winner of four awards, including best actor Kenton Kaulaity and best actress Shelby Dayzie.

Two foreign film submissions in 2016 were Twin Stars, winner of three awards, and BitterSweet, winner of two awards.

Winner of four awards in last year’s drama feature is Te Ata meaning “bearer of the morning.”

The 2016 film festival debuted language preservation as a new category in support of culture and language.

New categories for this year are SciFi fantasy and web-series new media.

Filmmakers, producers, writers, storytellers, directors, musicians, and talent are expected to be a part of the three-day event.

The film festival this year will start on Thursday, September 14, with most of the features to be shown at the historic El Morro theatre.

On Sept. 16, the City of Gallup will block West Coal Avenue between Second and Third streets for vendors, booth displays, music, entertainment.

Tickets for the film festival will be available in August through the film festival website: www.gallupfilmfestival.com and at the Gallup Downtown Conference Center locate at 204 West Coal
Ave.

Staff Reports

Knifewing Segura and Beverly Newman, owners of Gallup Film Festival. Photo Credit: Hawk Segura