Join us for a screening of the film Putuparri and the Rainmakers, a universal story about the sacred relationship between people and place. It takes audiences on a rare and emotional journey to meet the traditional rainmakers of Australia’s Great Sandy Desert who have fought a twenty-year battle to win back their traditional homeland.

The film spans ten transformative years in the life of Tom ‘Putuparri’ Lawford as he navigates the deep chasm between his Western upbringing and his growing determination to fight for his family’s homeland. A trip back to his grandparents’ country in the desert begins the process of cultural awakening. Putuparri is shocked to learn that the dreamtime myths are not just stories, that there is a country called Kurtal and a snake spirit that is the subject of an elaborate rainmaking ritual.

Putuparri is a man caught between two worlds: the deeply spiritual universe of his people’s traditional culture and his life in modern society where he struggles with alcoholism and domestic violence. As he reconnects with his ancestral lands and learns about his traditional culture he begins to accept his future as a leader of his people and shoulders his responsibility to pass this knowledge on to the next generation.

Set against the backdrop of their long fight to reclaim their traditional lands, Putuparri and the Rainmakers is an emotional, visually breathtaking story of love, hope and the survival of Aboriginal law and culture against all odds.

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is a 110-minute theatrical program of seven short films curated from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, including three Festival Award–winning titles. Considered the premier showcase for short films and the launchpad for many now-prominent independent filmmakers, the Festival includes fiction, documentary, and animation projects from around the world. Throughout its 40 editions, the Festival has supported short films by providing a platform for both established and emerging filmmakers to connect with audiences. Driven by innovation and experimentation, the Short Film Program seeks out filmmaking’s most original voices. The 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour program is a sampling of Festival offerings and a testament to the unique storytelling potential that the format holds. Audiences who missed the 2024 Sundance Film Festival — which took place online and in person in Park City, Utah, January 18–28 — can enjoy a mix of fiction, documentary, and animated shorts that are funny, sad, inspiring, and full of strong characters.

The Festival’s Short Film Program has long been established as a place to discover talented directors, such as alumni Andrea Arnold, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jay and Mark Duplass, Debra Granik, Rashaad Ernesto Green, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Todd Haynes, Sterlin Harjo, Don Hertzfeldt, Sky Hopinka, Shaka King, Lynne Ramsay, Dee Rees, Joey Soloway, Taika Waititi, and many others.

Held annually in Telluride CO, Mountainfilm is a festival featuring a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed, and enlightening documentary short films. Join us for a screening of a curated selection of powerful films from the festival. Mountainfilm on Tour is presented in partnership with the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association. 

*Doors open at 5pm with cash bar

Enjoy a free screening of “Friends and Strangers,” an episode from season 11 of Art in the Twenty-First Century. In this episode, featuring Cannupa Hanska Luger, Miranda July, Linda Goode Bryant and Christine Sun Kim, artists explore what it means to find emotional connection and build community.  

Join Nevada Humanities and Our Story Inc. for a conversation about the history of Black Springs, Nevada, a neighborhood located in the North Valleys, approximately six miles from downtown Reno. The 26-minute film will be followed by a panel conversation with scholars and community members. 

A Black Springs Homecoming: Finding History is a documentary film directed by Tsanavi Spoonhunter and produced by Nevada Humanities that tells the story of a small Nevada neighborhood and the ability of its residents to establish an enduring sense of community in the face of widespread racial discrimination and economic hardship. Current and former residents of Black Springs recall how the community worked together in the 1960’s and 1970’s to secure their own volunteer fire department, reliable water service, a community center and park, and more. Together with community partners, they describe ongoing efforts to strengthen the neighborhood’s identity and preserve its story for future generations.

This is a FREE program. 

This revelatory documentary film brings to light the profound and overlooked influence of Indigenous people on popular music in North America. Focusing on music icons like Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Taboo (The Black Eyed Peas), Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Jesse Ed Davis, Robbie Robertson, and Randy Castillo, RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World shows how these pioneering Native American musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives.

Musician, Pura Fé who is featured in the film, will introduce the evening.

Run time: 102 minutes.

Presented by Artown and the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in partnership with the Nevada Museum of Art.

Join us for a film screening featuring the unforgettable voices of a diverse group of African American “Rosie the Riveters” who recount what life was really like during World War II. Fleeing lives as domestics and sharecroppers these remarkable women empowered themselves while serving the nation. These patriotic pioneers share their wartime memories, recounting their battles against racism at home, Nazism abroad, and sexism everywhere. They represent 600,000 women like themselves who overcame the Great Depression, Jim Crow, sexual degradation, and workplace discrimination to break gender and racial barriers. Learn more and view the trailer here.

Filmmaker and historian, Gregory S. Cooke joins virtually following the screening for a live audience discussion.

The Third Coast Dance Film Festival celebrates the intersection of contemporary dance and the moving image with a screening series of short dance films.  Currently entering its twelfth season, the 2023 Third Coast Dance Film Festival lineup will include domestic and international films. Join festival co-founder Rosie Trump for an evening celebrating dance and the moving image.

Third Coast Dance Film Festival NMA Film Line Up (1 hour of films):

A Tale Of Two Sisters (Kingdom of Hawai’i / USA)
Director: Angelique Kalini Axelrode
Choreographer: Brigitte Leilani Axelrode
*Spirit of the Festival Award Winner 

Dolores A Triptych (USA)
Director: Gina Margillo
Choreographer: Gina Margillo, Rosie Herrera
*Best of Festival Award Winner

EMOTIONAL HOUDINI (Canada)
Director: Allison Beda
Choreographer: Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg

Ghostly Labor: A Dance Film (USA)
Director: John Jota Leaños, Vanessa Sanchez
Choreographer: Vanessa Sanchez
*Best of Festival Award Winner

Let’s Dance! (Spain)
Director: Second Year Students
Choreographer: None

Morning (USA)
Director: Holly Wilder
Choreographer: Holly Wilder

Not from Here (South Africa) *Best of Festival Award
Director: Oscar O’Ryan
Choreographer: Louise Coetzer

Pas De Trois (France)
Director & Choreographer: Guillaume H. Berrebi

Round of Applause (USA)
Choreographer & Director : Irishia Hubbard
*Best of Festival Award Winner 

Shu (USA)
Director: Mike Schwartz
Choreographer: Shu Kinouchi

Held annually in Telluride CO, Mountainfilm is a festival featuring a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and enlightening documentary short films. Join us on Saturday or Sunday for a screening of a curated selection of powerful films from the festival. Mountainfilm on Tour is presented in partnership with the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association. 

Held annually in Telluride CO, Mountainfilm is a festival featuring a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and enlightening documentary short films. Join us on Saturday or Sunday for a screening of a curated selection of powerful films from the festival. Mountainfilm on Tour is presented in partnership with the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association.

*Doors open at 6 pm with cash bar.