'Two Spirits', a film documenting the brutal murder of Cortez, Colo. teen Fred Martinez by filmmaker Lydia Nibley will premiere at the Starz Denver Film Festival on November 21, 2009. The film raises questions about how a fundamental shift in cultural attitudes could save lives, families, and Native traditions.Sixteen-year-old Fred Martinez was two-spirit, someone who embodies the essence of both male and female, a special gift according to his ancient Navajo culture. This tradition is grounded in the idea that to maintain harmony, there must be balance between the feminine and the masculine within the individual, in families, in the culture, and in the natural world. 'Two Spirits' interweaves the tragic story of a mother’s loss of her son with an examination of a time when many Native American cultures held places of honor for people of integrated genders. The film offers much-needed insight and fresh perspective to the conversation taking place around sexuality and gender in American culture today.
