Another festival that has put South Carolina on the national map is an annual Native American Indian Film & Video Festival. This is the only Native American Film Festival in the entire southeastern United States. Each November The Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois & United Tribes of South Carolina, Inc. partners with the Columbia Film Society to present Native American Indian independent films.  This unique festival is truly a profound blessing to the state. For the last four years the film festival has informed the imagination of filmmakers, Native American and communication students.  This is the Fifth year of the festival.

The Native American Indian Video & Film Festival in celebration of National Native American Indian Heritage Month, each November in Columbia began in 1997. This regional festival draws viewers from all the surrounding states including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, being the only American Indian Film Festival in the southeast. This festival presents a series of films that are American Indian produced, directed, and staring Native American Indian people. The major categories for this festival include: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Commercial Feature, Short Subject, Music Video, Animated Short Subject, Public Service, and Industrial.

It is not Hollywood depictions and stories that are shown, but, it shows films that are made by American Indian independent filmmakers, "Native Storytellers," with a contemporary medium and their stories are true. Whether they are documentary, legends, Native American Myths, contemporary issue related films or dramatic films they open the viewer to true Native American Indian perspectives.

In years past they have also brought Native American Producers, Directors, Associate-Directors and featured actors in a Native American historical drama to the screenings to further our understanding of media literacy and the making of their film. Currently, there are similar film festivals in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and at Sundance Institute in Colorado which focuses on American Indian Films. This is the only ANNUAL Native American Indian Film Festival in the southeastern United States. South Carolina's rich fabric of diverse Native American cultural communities and traditional forms of creative artistic expression offer an infinite number of opportunities for visitation, authentic experience, folklife and traditional arts to see and experience.  The Native experience can be had by visiting with a traditional artists or attending Native American Indian Music concerts, listening to Native American themed radio programs, purchasing South Carolina Native American Indian crafts or recordings and attending Native American Indian art exhibitions. These events are scheduled throughout the year in various areas of the state and in the American Indian communities. Especially in the Month of November there is efforts to raise awareness and host public programming.  The Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois & United Tribes of South Carolina, Inc. have been sponsoring and leading the statewide observance of National Native American Indian Heritage Month since 1994.

We have had The pleasure of showing  the brightest and newest independent films of the Native American Indian experience made by Natives. The films throughout the history of the regional film festival include such films as  Silence, Naturally Native, Smoke Signals,  Through Native Eyes, Legends, On and Off the Rez.

In 1998 we had Naturally Native which follows the lives, pain, joy and relationships of three sisters as they attempt to start their own business. This was the first film about Native American Indian women, written, directed, produced and staring Native American Indian women. It stared Valerie Red Horse, Irene Beddard
(Pocahantas, Lakota Woman). In 1998 we also had Bonnie Looksaway's Iron Art Wagon  the Directoral debute of Wes Studi( Geronimo, Dances with Wolves). Singing Our Stories, was a great film that featured "Rock Icon" Rita Coolidge, Pura Fe a Tuscarora singer and songwriter, and Blackfoot composer Olivia Tailfeathers.
Totem Talk, directed by Ann Frazier King was and animated iconographic film fantasy about the Northwest Coast. Of course the big hit for the Film festival in 1998 was the area premiere of Smoke Signals, by Chris Eyers. This well received film became a block buster among native American Indian films and one of the first with national distribution.

Silence was a featured in 1999 at the Festival. It stared Tanto Cardinal in a dark look at an abusive Native American Indian family's situations in life. In 2000 we expanded the film festival and  brought in Van Coleman and three of the stars of "Through Native Eyes: the Henry Berry Lowrie Story" which told the story of a Famous Tuscarora-Lumbee Indian hero, Henry Berry Lowrie.  Also in 2000 we featured Legends: The Story of Siwash Rock and To Return the John Walkus Story. The big hit for the film festival of 2000 was the featured documentary about the famous comedian Charlie Hill, "On and Off the Res."

In the fourth  year the film festival expanded and showed, "Christmas in the Clouds" with Wes Studi (Geronimo) and Graham Greene (DANCES WITH WOLVES), the Award winning film "Big Eden" with Eric Schwig and many other Native documentaries such as; "Today Is a Good Day: Remembering Chief Dan George" and  the Zopetec Film "Blossoms of Fire"and films from people throughout the western Hemisphere.

In 2001 we expanded the film festival to include Native American Indian depiction's and foreign language from many different areas of the western hemisphere including: Mexico, Brazil, and Hawaii. We also featured two dramatic feature films and expanded the showings of each of the films.  In the Fifth Year the festival will expand to show Native American Indian Music Videos as a new category for the festival goers to enjoy.