Through the Red Lens, an LTV series of Native American educational programming from the Long Island Native communities, and LTV Studios have organized a free afternoon of Indigenous fashion and film at the Wainscott studio on Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.
The event will be hosted by Kayla Lookinghorse, an award-winning Native American fashion designer, and Ginew Benton, a Native filmmaker and editor-videographer for LTV.
The studio will open to the public at noon for an exhibition of Native American art and a vendor market. A reception and mocktail bar will begin at 2 in Studio 1; at the same time, in Studio 3, a panel discussion will take place. A series of Native American short films will be screened starting at 3.
At 5, a fashion show featuring designs by Ms. Lookinghorse will be held, followed by a screening of the world premiere of Mr. Benton's first feature film, "The Dim."
Ms. Lookinghorse's Hunkpapa/Itazipco Lakota heritage is woven into her designs. Her signature symbol, three horizontal lines, pays homage to the past, present, and future. As a mother, designer, artist, and tribal citizen, she has forged her own path by creating and recreating traditional garments with a contemporary edge. Ms. Lookinghorse also starred in Mr. Benton's short film "Looking Glass."
Mr. Benton's previous short films made visible the permeability of the barrier between the natural and the spiritual worlds. "The Dim" focuses on Troy and Lisa, a Native American couple, whose relationship is deteriorating. When Troy comes upon an interdimensional object, it turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing, to him and everyone around him.
The short-film festival will include "She Whistles," a film by Thirza Cuthand, in which an Indigenous woman is assaulted by her cab driver. Mr. Cuthand, who is of Plains Cree and Scots descent, is a member of Little Pine First Nation. His works have been screened internationally, including at the Tribeca Film Festival. "She Whistles" was produced by Sera-Lys McArthur, an actor and model as well as a producer, and a member of the Siyo Nide Nakoda Oayde Nation.
Also represented in the short-film program is LaRonn Katchia, a Warm Springs/Wasco/Paiute from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Ore. His short film "Missing Indigenous," which highlights the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, was awarded best film and best cinematography by the 48 Hour Film Project in Portland, Ore.
