Winthrop to Host 19th Annual Native American Film Festival of the Southeast

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - The 19th annual Native American Film Festival of the Southeast will feature two short documentaries and a panel discussion on Nov. 13 at Winthrop University.

Guy Reel, chair of the Department of Mass Communication, said Winthrop is very excited to help open the 19th annual Native American Film Festival of the Southeast. "We invite all of the Winthrop community as well as those in the Rock Hill area to attend," Reel said. "The event is free, and we're hoping to have a good turnout in celebration of Native American Heritage Month."

The films, "My Identity" and "First Light," will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in the Richardson Ballroom in the DiGiorgio Campus Center.

The panel consists of:

Will Moreau Goins, CEO of the Cherokee Indian Tribe of South Carolina-ECSIUT, Inc. The Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois & United Tribes (ECSIUT) is a tribal consortia of state and federally recognized tribal members. The organization seeks to preserve and share the history and culture of the Native American peoples of South Carolina. Goins is the founder/curator and director of the festival. A Native American of Cherokee, Tuscarora, Cheraw Indian ancestry, heritage and affiliation, Goins is also a historic preservationist, published author, communications professional and community leader.

Melissa Harris, director of Head Start for the Catawba Indian Nation: She will talk about the Catawba Indian Nation's Indian Child Welfare Act. She is a Class of 1994 Winthrop graduate.

 Bert Hesse, president of Catawba Studios: He is the head of the first Native American owned movie studio, built and managed by Studio South Holdings. As executive producer of his last two feature films ("Night Feeders" and "Cold Storage"), Hesse oversaw all aspects of the projects' financial and legal issues, and negotiated sales and distribution contracts both domestically and internationally.

Gerry Martin of Red Heritage Media, a Catawba-owned production company: Martin has helped develop video and film content for such companies as Shell, Pennzoil, Walmart, Red Bull, Lowe's, Target, Budweiser, Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, NASCAR, Fox Sports, as well as the National Guard.

For more information, contact Reel at reelg@winthrop.edu.