Mitchell Museum to Host Film Screening of Rising Voices on Oct. 22

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian has been selected as one of the
venues to host a screening of “Rising Voices/ Hotȟaŋiŋpi. The film illuminates the devastating
problem of ancestral language loss for the Lakota people, one of the biggest Native American
nations. The one-hour documentary screening is free with museum admission, and will be
shown on Thursday, October 22 at 6pm. A moderated discussion will take place following the
screening. Refreshments will be available, and all proceeds will benefit the museum.

“Rising Voices/Hotȟaŋiŋpi” tells the story of a passionate, dedicated and diverse group of
people - members of the Lakota community and Linguists from outside of the community- who
are working together to save the Lakota language and restore it to its rightful place in Lakota
(and American) culture. Told through the voices of a wide range of Lakota people who share
their feelings about their language and the myriad challenges facing their community, the film
also incorporates four short films created for “Rising Voices” by Lakota filmmakers and artists,
each one giving a perspective on how finding one’s authentic “language” connects a person to a
deeper sense of culture.

The film, by Lawrence Hott and Diane Garey, is a production of Florentine Films/Hott
Productions, Inc. in association with The Language Conservancy. It received major funding from
the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is presented and distributed nationally by
American Public Television (APT). It will premiere on public television stations nationwide
beginning November 1, 2015 (check local listings).

The Language Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that works with Native American tribes
to preserve their ancestral languages by providing educational materials, teacher trainings,
dictionaries, and other materials that assist in language revitalization. The primary service area
for the Language Conservancy is in the American Northwest, including Montana, North Dakota,
and South Dakota.

The Mitchell Museum is one of only a handful of museums in the country that focuses
exclusively on the art, history and culture of American Indian and First Nation peoples
throughout the United States and Canada. In 2012, The Mitchell Museum was named “Best
Museum of The North Shore: Up and Comer” by Make it Better magazine, won the Superior
award by the Illinois Association of Museums and was named a national finalist by the
American Association of State and Local History award program.

For more information about The Mitchell Museum of The American Indian, visit
www.mitchellmuseum.org or call 847-475-1030. The museum is open Tuesday-Wednesday 10
a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday- Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon
to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students and children and Free for Mitchell
Museum members and Tribal members.
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