‘Miss Navajo’ film and discussion at ISU Oct. 23

The Community Connections outreach film series will show “Miss Navajo” Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 5:30 p.m. in the Idaho State University Pond Student Union Theater.

The film explores the Miss Navajo Nation beauty pageant, a competition that has endured for more than five decades.

Contestants are judged not only on physical beauty, but skills and talents as well. Unlike the popular musical and dancing talents performed by popular pageant competitors today, Miss Navajo contestants showcase skills in making fry bread, weaving rugs, interviewing in the Navajo language and even butchering sheep. “Miss Navajo” is a celebration of Native American traditions and womanhood, as well as Navajo culture and language.

Following the film, ISU Women’s Studies instructor Claudia McCoy will speak and lead an audience discussion on preserving traditions. She will be joined by Miss Sho-Ban, Hovia Edwards.

Community Connections offers monthly sneak previews of films selected from the Independent Lens series. Each screening is followed by a speaker and audience discussion of issues raised in the film. The series is made possible through a partnership of Idaho Public Television, the Independent Television Service and ISU. All screening events are free and open to the public.

For more information about the ITVS Community Cinema, visit www.pbs.org/independentlens.