To honor the impact and importance of “Red Fever” a film by directors Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, the ACT Human Rights Film Festival hosted a screening at The Lyric theatre in Fort Collins Nov. 3. The screening brought cultural truth and brilliance imparted by the film and experienced by the Fort Collins community.

Viewers arrived one hour early to the screening for a reception in which ACT and The Symposium were joined virtually by Native singers Dwayne Iron, Nicole Iron, and Mistyrose Iron — with the assistance of Jan Iron — to perform both the Arapaho and Cheyenne Flag Songs as well as a prayer song for Native American Heritage Month. Additionally, Cody Davenport sang round dance songs with the aid of his hand drum.

The rumble and chatter in the lobby fell silent as the flag songs began, and all who were able were encouraged to stand. Afterward, the crowd made its way to the theater for the showing of “Red Fever,” which was sold out and had nearly every seat filled.

Following the screening, the audience was joined by a panel of speakers moderated by Rasa Humeyumptewa, the assistant director of CSU’s Native American Cultural Center. The panel consisted of Ron Hall, Roe Bubar, Karla Iron and Amaya Iron, through whose words the significance of “Red Fever” was discussed.

Bubar, a professor of ethnic studies at Colorado State University, spoke to the effectiveness of the film, noting that the methodology in the way difficult subjects are discussed can affect a film’s impact on the audience.

The film opens conversations on challenging subjects through its tactful inclusion of humor, sensitivity and research to effectively educate viewers.

“In my travels across the globe, I found people to be fascinated by Indians. … Everywhere I went, they had the same images of us.” -Neil Diamond, “Red Fever” co-director

Bubar noted how humor was “used to really get people to think on a number of different levels.” Additionally, she spoke about the film’s abundance of Indigenous knowledge and said it “honors tribal knowledge and tribal people.”

Beth Seymour, the ACT managing director, also spoke about the film’s importance.

“Collaborating to bring ‘Red Fever’ to Fort Collins reflects what makes community film events so vital,” Seymour said. “When we gather in person to experience a story and share conversation, we nurture understanding, strengthen civic dialogue and deepen the connections that help sustain democracy.”

The film explores how, through decades of stereotypical depictions in media, Western pop culture has assigned a particular image to Indigenous peoples. Aspects of Indigenous culture have been taken and reproduced in a manner that neither represent Native tribes with respect, nor capture the truth of Native cultures. Consider, for instance, Na’vi from “Avatar,” Pocahontas and the portrayals of Indigenous people in “Peter Pan.”

While these caricatures and stereotypes are well-known in Western society, what’s often overlooked is the very real and significant impact Indigenous cultures have had that they’re rarely given credit for. 

Directors Diamond and Bainbridge sought to illustrate the forgotten ways that Indigenous culture has influenced Western society through a film that took the audience around Europe and North America in an exploration of Indigenous truth. 

Diamond, a Cree-Canadian photographer, writer and filmmaker, began the film with his recent return from extensive world traveling, in which he visited many different cultures but observed a common trend.

“In my travels across the globe, I found people to be fascinated by Indians,” Diamond said. “Everywhere I went, they had the same images of us.”

More than anything, Diamond said he noticed that most of the references to Indigenous peoples in pop culture were not accurate to Indigenous truths and history; rather, they promoted caricatures deeply embedded in cultural appropriation and racial stereotypes.

“Why are so many people attached to these fantasies when most of them have never even met a Native person?” Diamond asked.

Diamond set out to explore the origins of the ways Indigenous culture is represented, and the influence that Native people have had on Western society. Dividing his exploration into four sections, Diamond examined how the Indigenous spirit, body, mind and heart have been taken and adapted by the Western world.

For instance, appropriation of Indigenous culture is prevalent in the fashion industry, where the spirit of Indigenous designs are taken and often exploited.

During the film, Diamond interviewed Indigenous fashion designer Korina Emmerich, who spoke about how “the designers would look towards Indigenous cultures and see all these beautiful garments that were really made as an extension of our own bodies as protection against the elements.”

Such designs were frequently taken by Western designers and put on the runway for personal profit and distinction.

Alongside exploring cultural appropriation, the film delved into the ways that Indigenous people were forced to assimilate into Western culture. The film discussed how, when Indigenous culture was stripped from Native tribes, various parts of Native culture was used by oppressors.

“That’s why cultural appropriation is so detrimental,” Emmerich said. “It is giving us the message that we stole this from you, you can’t have it anymore, but we are going to take it and profit off of it.”

In addition to cultural appropriation in Western fashion, “Red Fever” also examined Native peoples’ impact on Western sports. The film told the story of Indigenous athlete Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to win gold at the Olympics. “Red Fever” also followed the story of the Carlisle football team: a team of Native Americans whose innovations in the sport were essential in creating the strategies seen in football today.

Even more overlooked are the ways in which Western politics utilize Native governing structures. The “mind” section of the film explored how modern systems of democracy are based on the ways of the Haudenosaunee tribes.

The final part of the film, which Diamond labeled as the “heart,” centered on Indigenous impacts on the environment and the environmental activism currently conducted by many Native tribes.

Reach Addison Mitchell at entertainment@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.