Browse films

Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting

Aviva Kempner
Ben West
United States, 2022, 95 min.

In English.
Includes violence and adult language.

AIFF Award Winner:
Special Jury Award tor Activist Filmmaking

Imagining the Indian is a comprehensive examination of the movement to eradicate the words, images, and gestures that many Native Americans and their allies find demeaning and offensive. The film takes a deep dive into the issues through archival footage and interviews with those involved in the fight. The psychological research is clear: the use of Native American mascots is detrimental, not only to Native people, but to marginalized groups everywhere.

Category: Documentary, Award Winner.
Themes: Native American, Sports.

More in Documentary

  • Land of Canaan

    Land of Canaan

    Maggie Lemere
    United States, 2025, 84 min.

    As Palestinian life and land are threatened with systematic destruction, this documentary presents a rare and intimate view of Palestinian farmers and their... more ›

  • No Baby on Board

    No Baby on Board

    Julia Kots
    United States, 2025, 79 min.

    When the filmmaker tries to donate her frozen eggs, she delves into a hilarious and heartbreaking debate about why women are opting out of motherhood... more ›

  • Into The Pool

    Into The Pool

    Scott Ballard
    United States, 2026, 9 min.

    In her mid-seventies, synchronized swimmer Julie Vigeland continues to find herself in the pool - a place where aging dissolves into a dance of healing,... more ›