Programmers of the United Nations Documentary Film Festival (UNAFF) have selected APACHE 8, produced by the University of Arizona’s Hanson Film Institute, to be the festival’s 2016 Opening Night film. Nita Quintero, a firefighter featured in the film, and Vicky Westover, Hanson Film Institute director and a producer of the film, will be in attendance at the screening, taking place at the Aquarius Theatre in Palo Alto California on October 20, 2016.
Directed by Sande Zeig, APACHE 8 tells the story of the all-women wildland firefighter crew that has been fighting fires in Arizona and throughout the US for over 30 years. The film delves into the heroic lives of the firefighters, all from the White Mountain Apache Tribe, as they overcome gender stereotypes and the problems that come with life on the impoverished reservation to become some of the country’s most elite firefighters.
UNAFF (United Nations Association Film Festival) was originally conceived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was founded by Stanford educator and film critic Jasmina Bojic with the participation of the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Midpeninsula Chapter, a community-based nonprofit organization. The 19th UNAFF will be held from October 20-30, 2016 in Palo Alto, Stanford University, East Palo Alto and San Francisco.
In addition to the Official Selection at UNAFF, APACHE 8 has been selected by Vision Maker Media as one of 40 films celebrating the distributor’s 40 years of service to Public Broadcasting. In partnership with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, WGBH and the Library of Congress, “40 Years-40 Films” will feature full programs that Vision Maker Media has supported over the years. Starting Nov. 1, 2016 and ending Aug. 7, 2017, a different film will be available for free streaming each week.
Director Sande Zeig said “The firefighters from APACHE 8 are still actively fighting fires. Although well known in the firefighting community, they were unknown to the public until now. I am very honored to bring their heroic stories to public worldwide. I hope they will inspire audiences as much as they have inspired me.”
Vicky Westover said “We are thrilled that APACHE 8 will have the honor of opening this year’s United Nations Festival, and that this film about 4 extraordinary women continues to draw attention from film festivals and museums around the country.”
UNAFF 2016 is the latest of a number of film festivals and film series to have presented APACHE 8. The documentary has been part of the Official Selection at the Utah American Indian Film Festival, the Sedona International Film Festival, the American Indian Film Festival, and the Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art among others. The film premiered at the Native American Film + Video Festival at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York, and is distributed by Vision Maker Media and Women Make Movies.
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