AK: The relationship between Indigenous cultures, nature and the rest of the world forms a complex interplay. This ambivalence is visible, for example, in the documentary Angry Inuk by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril. The industrialised nations have unquestionably had an effect on the realities of life for Inuit – but the opposite is also true. The sole source of income for many Inuit is the trade in sealskins, a by-product of their diet. They make clothing and jewellery from the pelts for their own use but also to sell. Environmental organisations, however, protest loudly against seal hunting. Inuit are still allowed to hunt them, but the trade embargo means they may no longer sell the skins and their products. Such interdependencies can only be understood from a global perspective. Not all Inuit in northern Canada want to live like they did thousands of years ago; instead, they want to participate in the global community. NATIVe is all about listening closely to Indigenous voices and taking them seriously. It is about offering them the opportunity to speak for themselves and to present their situation.
The Image of the Noble Savage
Especially in the Germany of Karl May, it appears that misunderstandings between the different cultures are a given. How great is the danger of false romanticising?
MR: Very great. And romanticising can quickly lead to the quest for a lost paradise and the projection of the idea of the so-called "noble savage". We must really watch out for this. In NATIVe we seek to achieve the opposite. The situation of Indigenous people is nowhere near as ideal as our own sense of longing tries to make us believe.
At the same time, the medium of cinema is virtually predestined to be a place for longing and projection. How do the films handle this?
AK: Cinema has always been a place of longing and it can remain so. Sometimes this is also in evidence in the NATIVe programme. However, the films are by no means romanticised depictions of an idyllic world. We show work made by Indigenous filmmakers – their aesthetics, artistic and narrative ambitions are equally as important to them as to any filmmaker. The focus is on the medium of film and how it can be utilised.