On Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 pm, the Hoboken Museum is pleased to host the third installment of the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival fall series, featuring special guest filmmaker, Karl Nussbaum, who will screen his moving and insightful work, “Ghost Dance for America, 1890.”

The film, originally conceived as a large-scale installation, is about the birth of our nation, the violent history of the 1800s and how it presages today’s political climate. The Ghost Dance was a religious movement of Native Americans in response to the U.S. government’s westward expansion and acts of terrorism against them.  

Nussbaum’s film will be paired with other short works from the Black Maria film festival’s collection with themes relating to the Native American experience in the US including:

The Stick Maker – Documentary – 4 min. by Curtis Albucher, Philadelphia, PA. For the Onondaga, the game of lacrosse is played for the pleasure of the Creator and has a deep meaning for the players and their community. Traditionally it was a method of spiritual healing, and today it is played to honor past traditions. Alfred Jacques is an Onondaga lacrosse stick maker who has been making sticks for over fifty years.  He respects his ancestor’s ways and even lives by them. For over 50 years he has poured his soul into every lacrosse stick he has ever made. With his wealth of knowledge, he teaches the deeper meaning within the game and the importance of the Lacrosse stick.

Unsettled – Experimental – 7 min. by Tara Knight, Denver, CO. Multiple layers of archival and historically based images appear and disappear as they reveal glimpses into the ecological and economic histories of the American landscape.  A journey through American history includes the early lives of Indian peoples morphing into white settlements, industrial development, railroads, and dense landscapes.

Thanksgiving is Insane – Animation – 5 min. by Josh Raskin, Toronto, Canada and Daniel Davis, Washington, D.C. As generally understood, the American holiday of Thanksgiving commemorates a neighborly feast that was shared by Pilgrims and Indians in 1621.  However, Thanksgiving reveals the origins of a country forever fascinated, conflicted, and shaped by its fraught relationship with American Indians.

The Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival series at the Hoboken Museum has featured screenings, guest filmmakers and lively discussions on the second Thursday evening of the month through December. Black Maria Executive Director Jane Steuerwald presents each custom-curated program and leads a discussion with the audience. 

Doors open at 6:30 pm, the films screen at 7 pm, followed by Q&A. A suggested donation of $5 will be collected at the door. Admission is free for students and teachers. 

The Littleman Parking-Independence Garage (Shipyard Lane, at 12th St.) offers 3 hours of free parking with Museum validation.

Now in its 38th consecutive year, the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival focuses on diverse short films – narrative, experimental, animation, and documentary – including those which address issues and struggles within contemporary society such as the environment, public health, race and class, family, sustainability, and more. The festival’s Hudson County Movie Tour is made possible through the generous support of The Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs & Tourism, Gina Hulings, Director/Administrator.

For further information, visit www.blackmariafilmfestival.org.