About

Native Spirit Foundation was founded by Mapuche leader Freddy Treuqil in 2005 to bring knowledge and awareness of Indigenous cultures and longer-term community educational projects supporting Escuela Nueva (New School)

“All the [activists] have come to the conclusion that one objective of making video, radio and television is for the other culture to know us. It is necessary to create a bridge to share our culture in an educational form, without losing our identity.” — Freddy Treuqil

Native Spirit Festival

2007 the Foundation established Native Spirit Festival to promote Native Film, talks and performances in UK and Spain (2009-10).2018 Native Spirit Taiwan was created. In 2020 Native Spirit established #microIndigenous with MicroMania Film Festival Buffalo, NY (films 5min +under); and started an initiative to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in UK, in collaboration with American Museum & Gardens

We aim to inspire new possibilities for understanding life, by celebrating the strength and potential of the human spirit.

Strategic Advisors

TERRY J JONES is an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, located about 50 miles south of Niagara Falls. Terry has a passion for sharing his Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history and culture through his film works. He strives to find a balance between entertaining and educating his audiences.

Terry’s short films, many co-directed with Indian filmmaker Govind Deecee, have found success on the film festival circuit worldwide. Standouts include “Soup For My Brother” being awarded Best Documentary at the 2016 Liverpool International Film Festival in the United Kingdom as well as “Give and Take” (co-directed with Deecee) winning Emerging Filmmaker at the 2015 LA Skins Fest in Los Angeles. “Scarlett,” a short experimental film (co-directed with Govind Deecee and Akshay Raheja), was produced while studying 35mm film production at the FAMU film school in the Czech Republic, was awarded a Special Mention at the 2016 Arte Non Stop Film Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Jones’ short films have found distribution at the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC) in Toronto; which includes “Soup For My Brother,” “Empire State,” “[untitled & unlabeled],” “Ode to the Nine” and “Gik:skwod.”

Jones’ short films continue to screen at film festivals including the Tampere Film Festival in Finland (2021), Aesthetica Short Film Festival in York, UK (2020) as well Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival in Ottawa, ON (2020). Terry recently completed the Open Immersion II – Creative Doc VR Lab which was produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and in partnership with the Canadian Film Centre and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, supported by the Ford Foundation. Previously, Terry served as Vice Chairman/Secretary at American Indian Community House in New York City, as well a panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts and he also served as an official selector at the 2011 Native American Film + Video Festival – National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institute) in New York City. http://tornjerseymedia.com

MARC EVANS has 40 years experience in Radio and TV broadcast, public relations, strategic communications and public affairs, in commercial, voluntary and public sectors. In 2007, he was awarded the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Cymru Award for Outstanding Contribution to public relations in Wales. He devised and co-delivered the PR strategy that won global news coverage for the first edition of the biennial Artes Mundi contemporary arts prize. He has served as a non-executive Director of Chapter Arts, one of the most successful arts and creative industry centres in Europe. Former founding Administrator of BAFTA Cymru (Wales) and administrator of its first annual Film & TV Awards; author of Seminal Report In Media Res, which led to founding the Sound and Screen Archive of Wales. Member of the Board of the National St David’s Day Parade and former Trustee, iProvision (the PR industry’s benevolent fund).

Marc’s career has given him an exceptional range of contacts and insights into Wales and its government, political and social interactions, at all levels. He’s proud to have learned Cymraeg, the Indigenous language of Britain, and is now mistaken for a mother tongue speaker. Interests include: poetry and fiction in translation, early and pre-historic cultures, languages and art.

SAMWEL NANGIRIA
Maasai – Tanzania
Director NGO-Net and Oltoilo le Maa. Living Cultures Museum initiative 

MARCELO ZAIDUNI
Aymará – Bolivia
Traditional Doctor, Yatiri Chamakani. Former Vice Minister of Traditional Medicine & Interculturality. Social communicator and member of the Indigenous chair of the UII of FILAC, Council of Elders

Dremedreman Curimudjuq 
Paiwan – Director, Native Spirit Taiwan

Eduardo Santiago
Nu’u savi – Mexico
Atlachnolli Cultural Group UK

Support Us — Donate now

Please consider making a donation via paypal.me/NativeSpiritUK or Wise. 100% of proceeds go to Native Spirit Foundation, a volunteer-run grassroots movement promoting Indigenous filmmakers, Media and Artists. 

Name: NATIVE SPIRIT FILM Email: nativespiritfilms(at)gmail.com
IBAN: GB96 OPBK 0892 9965 1947 99 The Cooperative Bank

Join our Volunteer Team

Native Spirit is the only Independent annual UK festival dedicated to Indigenous Film, Media and Arts with growing global reach. We’d like more Indigenous Peoples on board, and people experienced in any of the following: development, fundraising, film festival digital marketing (Mailchimp; FB; Instagram; Twitter), tech, admin (gdocs spreadsheets, Excel, Word), webpage development (WordPress, SEO), research, graphic design (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign), video editing (Premiere, Final Cut Pro); Webinars (Zoom/Streamyard/Twitch); a channel manager for our new #microIndigenous showcase (Vimeo), Film Archivist, and Volunteer manager. Strong App skills, File management, Can Do attitude and attention to detail essential.
Contact nativespiritfilms(at)gmail.com — subject VOLUNTEER TEAM

Event Partners