(tinkly piano background music, quiet)
The blossoms are out here in DC and the tourists are out we're going to head over to the Smithsonian Indian Museum and talk to Melissa, Manager of the Media Initiatives Program there
Hi Melissa. How many people come through here on a summer day? (M) Oh, a lot, of course it fluctuates
(M)...and sometimes, when we have a festival, and as many as 20,000 visit over a weekend
And how about people from other countries? Do you see a lot of them?
(M) Yes. Around one half of our visitors are international.
You have a good sense of how complex the real Native American history is...
Is film a good way, a quick way to impress the visitors about this?
(M) I think so. Of course there are many reasons why
(he he)
(M) When people come into the theater, especially after a busy and intensely thought-provoking day, the quiet and organized presentation that a film affords is helpful
(M) And we try and supplement our film programs with question and answer sessions or short talks
...so that they can ask questions as well ask us on the web, too
(M) Our daily film is a curated program where we schedule one or two films, per day, for a month
(M) So for example this month we're showcasing Mohawk stories
Kahnawake stories? : )
(M) Yes
(M) And our focus is really on language
Okay, we walk into the theater
