Victor Masayesva Jr. is a widely recognized Hopi Independent producer and director who has been at the forefront of experimental filmmaking in the Native American film and video community. Besides his commitment to producing innovative films and videos he has been a prominent advocate for films by indigenous peoples from the international community, for the purpose of encouraging acceptance of an indigenous aesthetic. Raised in the conservative Hopi village of Hotevilla, which to this day refuses electric lines into the village, during a time when there was little contact with the Whiteman other than the government school teachers, the Hopi culture has continued to shape his views.
The tremendous grassroots effort led by Black Mesa Trust to stop Peabody Mining Company from pumping pristine drinking water to transport coal was accomplished on December 31, 2005. With the termination of coal revenues the Hopi villages considered their future survival, reflecting on the traditional beliefs that have carried them through similar hard times over a millennium in the Southwest.…
Having visited tribal communities in Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Washington and the Amazon to produce this film, director Victor Masayesva says, “Coming from a village which became embroiled in the filming of Darkwind, a Hollywood production on the Hopi Reservation, I felt a keen responsibility as a community member, not an individual, to address these impositions on our…