The Gig Harbor Film Festival, which typically takes place in October, will briefly appear again this weekend with a screening of “Older Than America” at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Galaxy Theatres.

The film, the story of a woman’s attempts to uncover the truth about her mother’s abuse at a Native American boarding school, was slated to screen at last year’s festival. Director Georgina Lightning was in attendance, and she planned to hold a question-and-answer session following the screening, when, unexpectedly, the film wouldn’t play.

The disc was scratched, and the festival audience didn’t get to watch the film.

“But that negative hiccup turned out to be a positive,” said Marty Thacker, the festival’s executive director.

The audience was understanding, Thacker said, and she asked Lightning if she would consider flying back from California at a later date for another screening and Q&A. Lightning agreed.

Audience members were given tokens for free popcorn at Galaxy, and their email addresses were collected for future screening tickets.

“I turned back to the audience and said, ‘Isn’t this what Gig Harbor is all about?’ ” Thacker said. “This community is very film-friendly. So, when filmmakers come in, they see that and want to come back.”

Lightning said the audience’s enthusiasm for her film made returning to Gig Harbor an easy decision.

“I’ve been to so many screenings all over the world, and technology problems happen — we have no control over it,” she said. “But they were still interested in the film, so I’m more than happy to come back, since they have interest in the content and in native cinema.”

Sunday’s screening will be paired with a discussion at the Harbor History Museum earlier in the day titled “American Indians in Cinema: Portrayals and Participation, Onscreen and Behind the Scene.”
Scholar Lance Rhoades will talk about how films have helped to shape perceptions and attitudes toward Native Americans. The event is free.

Thacker said she originally was interested in bringing “Older Than America” to Gig Harbor because of its message about native history.

“We’re very careful about the types of films we bring in,” Thacker said. “We want there to be an educational aspect to it.”

Lightning said that’s the strength of film festivals, which usually feature movies made outside of the major studio system. She said Thacker initially approached her after she learned about her involvement in the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival in California, because the Gig Harbor festival wanted to add more native cinema.

Lightning is the co-founder of the production company Tribal Alliance Productions, which focuses on stories about and from a native perspective, and has also portrayed native roles as an actor in movies and TV shows including "Johnny Greyeyes" and "The West Wing."

“There’s a lot of history and stories that people don’t get exposed to,” Lightning said. “And it’s through film festivals that they get exposed to some of the most beautiful stories that exist. The best way to see some of the best stories and most quality films is by going to film festivals.”

Thacker said she hopes the film festival can start to host special events, like the “Older Than America” screening, throughout the year, as often as once a month, to maintain awareness about the festival year-round.

“We have grown very fast,” she said of the 5-year-old festival. “And we want to keep that going.”

About 60 tickets to the film on Sunday have been earmarked for audience members from its original screening in October. Tickets for the general public are on sale at the film festival’s office, next to the Galaxy.

For more information, call 253-851-3456 or 253-858-8775.