Photographer and filmmaker Kirti Bassendine is bringing her documentary film “Contemporary Indigenous Voices of California’s South Coast Range” to an exclusive audience in Morgan Hill on Jan. 21.
The film explores the cultural practices and personal stories of 10 tribal community members calling attention to their connections to the land, rematriation (restoring the relationship between indigenous people and their ancestral roots) and climate change, Bassendine said.
Bassendine teamed up with Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner to bring the film to Morgan Hill, where it will screen 6-8:30pm Jan. 21 at CineLux Tennant Station.
Following the film screening will be a discussion with Bassendine, who is the director and cinematographer of “Contemporary Indigenous Voices of California’s South Coast Range.” Rishi Burr is the film’s lead editor and second cinematographer.
Having been born in Kenya and emigrated to England at a young age, Bassendine’s artistic expression was shaped by her experiences growing up within a minority culture, Bassendine said. Her photography exhibit, by the same title as the documentary, recently debuted at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
“As an Indian child growing up in Kenya, I experienced a lot of racial discrimination close up at a very young age,” Bassendine said in an artist’s Q&A published on the de Young Museum website. “There was a lot of segregation. We were actually discouraged from mingling and socializing with African children.”
“Then moving to England, I suddenly became a child of displacement. The culture was so different. It was so alienating. Trying to find my feet within that culture I was suddenly put in. Growing up in an Indian culture, it’s very different to going to school in a Western culture.”
The film “Contemporary Indigenous Voices of California’s South Coast Range” features the voices of leaders from 10 tribal groups from the Central Coast and beyond, including the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, Tamien Nation and the Indian Canyon Chualar Tribe of the Costanoan-Ohlone People, says the press release.
A short film created by Bassendine was selected for the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival in April 2024.
Turner said he was moved to help Bassendine coordinate a screening of the film at CineLux after the director contacted him. “Funding wasn’t available by others and after talking with Kirti, I felt this documentary would be a good opportunity to bring this film to Morgan Hill,” Turner said.
The mayor added, “Kirti has done extensive research in preparing this film and spoken with many tribal leaders…Morgan Hill and Santa Clara Valley have a rich history of Native American tribes, and this is a great opportunity to hear from tribal leaders who have a connection to their post, their contributions, as well as their concerns for the future.”
The exhibit and films have been received positively by culture bearers and community leaders.
“Bassendine’s work is important to the state of California as a cultural heritage archive and as a source of community action and education,” said Christina Hellmich, a curator at de Young Museum.
Hellmich added the work “brings forward voices that have been long unheard, fostering understanding and connection in a way that is both powerful and necessary.”
The Jan. 21 screening at CineLux Tennant Station is free but those interested are encouraged to reserve a seat on the event’s ticket page at https://tinyurl.com/yjnxwk6j.
PHOTOS
Screening
INDIGENOUS VOICES Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chair Valentin Lopez is pictured with filmmaker and photographer Kirti Bassendine at an event at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
Credit: Contributed
Bassendine_Kirti
COMING TO MORGAN HILL Filmmaker and photographer Kirti Bassendine, pictured at her photography exhibit at de Young Museum in San Francisco, brings her documentary “Contemporary Indigenous Voices of California’s South Coast Range” to Morgan Hill on Jan. 21.
Credit: Contributed
