4th Annual Garifuna Film Festival (past)

From Westside People

There’s something about the critically acclaimed Garifuna Film Festival that’s capturing attention from filmmakers, musicians and artists from all over the world. Taking place at the Electric Lodge Performing Arts Center May 22-25, the festival welcomes a century of change for indigenous cultures.

The Garifuna Film Festival is considered an international tower of strength and a major galvanizing force for unity amongst nations. The festival’s focus has always been to give a message of hope and solidarity with conflicting countries and cultures proving they could work together both productively and creatively. International creators are crediting Garifuna as a multi-sensory, multi-modal, multi-literate experience to give new voice to native literacy, pride and identity.

Together,cultures of the world . The goal is to heal the divide between nations thereby transcending petty politics and borders .

Garifuna’s child, Founder and Director Freda Sideroff, is to her heritage born and bred, She is well known for cracking the pavement, making new ground for her Garifuna International film festival. Realizing what it it means to be stripped of her native culture, heritage, and language–because of the colonialist’s need to assimilate native Indigenous cultures and deny them their priceless facets of heritage, she forged the Garifuna Foundation to help children academically as research shows that those who are immersed in their cultures perform better, have higher self-esteem, and lead more productive and happy lives.

Hostess Helena Cardona is a citizen of the world, calling the United States, France and Spain home. Fluent in five languages she is a graduate of American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Actor’s Studio in New York. With over 55 films to her credit, Sydney Pollack was so impressed with Helena, he based the Nicole Kidman character in The Interpreter (2005) in part on Cardona’s life by making her a Sorbonne linguist and a musician. For Serendipity (2001), she co-wrote with director Peter Chelsom and composer Alan Silvestri the song Lucienne, which she also sang.

Host Police Chief Joseph Paulino San Bernardino City Schools and VectorUSA made SBC schools safer, more secure and saved money His strong ties in the San Bernardino community, his problem-solving skills, and his passion for making a positive difference in the lives of students is making him a role model throughout California. As police chief ,he oversees a department of 26 sworn police officers, 55 campus security officers, and more than 10 support staff. The department is responsible for ensuring the safety of the district’s 53,000 students and protecting district property.

Danza Temachtia Quetzalcoatl is the resident Aztec dance group for Tia Chucha’s Centro, a cultural arts center located in the North East San Fernando Valley. Beginning in September 2006, Temachtia Quetzalcoatl has worked to learn, apply and share the indigenous Mexika teachings of their ancestors through dance, drum, song and community workshops. We dance each Monday night at Tia Chucha’s Centro and every Sunday afternoon at our local community college, Los Angeles Mission College; all practices are free to the community and open to people of all ages. We host Equinox/ Solstice ceremonies every year and present a 4-day Dia de los Muertos workshop each November, all free to the community.

Danza Temachtia Quetzalcoatl has participated in annual local events such as the City of San Fernando Cesar Chavez March and the Pacoima Christmas Parade, has brought dances of blessing to local schools such as Head Start in San Fernando, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Pacoima and Canterbury Elementary in Arleta. Temachtia Quetzalcoatl has had the honor of participating in annual Mexika ceremonies from San Jose, Ca., to Tijuana, Mex., and have been invited- to our great honor- to dance in American Indian pow- wows.

Danza Temachtia Quetzalcoatl is dedicated to the physical, social, emotional and cultural well- being of our dancers and community, viewing our dedication to the Red Road and its ceremonies as a way to bring peace and harmony into this world.