RHS Student Artwork

At the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), filmmaking is more than a technical discipline; it is a communal practice rooted in collaboration, storytelling, and shared creative labor. That ethos is at the heart of IAIA’s student-led Cine Club, also known as the Cinematic Circle, founded in Fall 2025 by Cinematic Arts seniors Ashley Reese Meanus (Oglala Lakota) and Desmond Hayes.

Created in response to student identified needs within the department, the club has quickly become a vital space for connection, mentorship, and creative exchange. “We wanted a space where filmmaking could exist as a community,” Reese Meanus explains. While IAIA already had film screenings through other groups, there was no dedicated forum where students could openly discuss works in progress, exchange feedback, and build connections outside of classroom constraints. Recognizing that filmmaking is inherently collaborative, the founders envisioned a club that would hold space for experimentation and support rather than evaluation.

Since its launch, the Cine Club has hosted mixers, workshops, screenings, and weekly meetings designed to encourage both peer to peer learning and interdepartmental collaboration. Weekly meetings, held Monday evenings in IAIA’s photography lab, remain the backbone of the club, offering an informal, judgment free space where students may bring in scripts, rough cuts, or ideas, or simply show up to listen and connect.

Read more on our website at https://iaia.edu/building-community-through-film-student-led-cine-club/

Image (left to right): Frank Dosela, Avery Hale (San Carlos Apache, San Felipe Pueblo, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), Ashley Reese (Oglala Lakota), Samuel F. Sandoval (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), and Desmond Hayes, photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts.

Art History + Collaboration = Fantastic work ❤️
See it up close with additional examples of awesomeness :
April 28-30 5-7 pm- Ruidoso High School Performing Arts Center!