EVENT FULL: The Return of Navajo Boy

 Tickets are sold out. You are welcome to sign up for the waitlist at: https://bit.ly/2ngaKzz

press release: Join us for a 20th anniversary screening of the documentary film, The Return of Navajo Boy. A Sundance Film Festival & PBS selection, this documentary unlocks the mystery of a silent 1950s docudrama called “Navajo Boy” and exposes a hidden environmental crisis facing Navajo residents. This documentary tells the story of Elsie Mae Begay, who, while viewing the vintage film about her family in Monument Valley, identifies her baby brother who was adopted by white missionaries in the 1950s and never heard from again. She says his name is John Wayne Cly.

Elsie and her family’s story offers a different perspective on the history of the American West, showing the ways in which indigenous voices change the meaning of stereotypical images found in Hollywood Westerns, postcards, and, a propaganda film made by a uranium mining company. Against all odds, The Return of Navajo Boy, reunites a Navajo family and reveals the long-term legacies of radioactive contamination, all while uncovering the hidden history of the American West.

This screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Navajo speakers who will highlight the documentary’s lasting impact.

The panel will include:

James Adakai, President, Oljato Chapter, Navajo Nation

Elsie Mae Begay, Navajo Nation

John Wayne Cly, Navajo Nation

Jeff Spitz, Director & Co-Producer, Groundswell Films

This event is free and open to the public, however, seating is limited so we ask that you please secure a ticket.