Women of Color Decolonizing Hollywood: Where Story Becomes Ceremony and Script Becomes Sovereignty.
While progress has been made in acknowledging Native and Indigenous women in film and television, they remain among the most underrepresented creatives in the global entertainment industry. Yet there is reason for hope.
Native Women in Film & Television in All Media, presented by the Red Nation Celebration Institute, is the longest-standing Native women-led nonprofit enterprise in the entertainment sector. For over three decades, it has advanced industry visibility, strategic advocacy, and career pathways for Native women across film, television, and emerging media.
The 17th Edition of the NWIFTV Native Women in Film Festival will unfold March 11-12 at AMC The Grove 14, spotlighting a curated slate of award-winning films directed and produced by women of color during Hollywood’s Oscar week corridor. The festival will conclude with the the 4th Annual NWIFTV Media Impact Awards on March 13th.
The two-day event centers Native and Indigenous women storytellers with a lineup that includes Songs My Brothers Taught Me from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao; Nika & Madison by Eva Thomas; Dear Alaska by Moriah Hayes; the documentary She Cried That Day by Amanda Erickson; and the animated feature Qaqsoss naka Wahantuhsis by Tara Audibert, alongside nine short films amplifying emerging and established voices.
Nika & Madison, directed by Eva Thomas, captured five awards this past November at the 30th Red Nation International Film Festival and will be at selected theaters end of month. The gripping feature follows two young Indigenous women on the run after defending themselves against a violent police assault, unfolding as a tense and timely story of survival, justice, and resilience.
Nika & Madison will screen on March 11, followed by a special An Evening With Eva Thomas, offering audiences an intimate conversation with the filmmaker.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me marked the breakout feature debut of Chloé Zhao and stars Irene Bedard. Set against the stark beauty of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, the lyrical drama follows siblings Johnny and Jashuan as they navigate family instability and the sudden death of their estranged father. As Johnny considers leaving for Los Angeles in pursuit of opportunity, he must confront a painful choice between ambition and the deep bond he shares with his younger sister.
The film will screen March 12, followed by An Evening with Joanelle Romero – Academy Award-shortlisted filmmaker and Founder of NWIFTV – along with special invited guests (TBA).
The NWIFTV Festival concludes with the 4th Annual Pre-Oscar NWIFTV Media Impact Awards on March 13. This year’s celebration will take place at Alma Cocina de México at The Grove, bringing together women in entertainment, Native and Indigenous filmmakers, and creatives to ignite a new narrative in Hollywood.
The evening will spotlight the impact of Native and Indigenous voices in film, highlighting success stories, ongoing challenges, and the critical underrepresentation of Native women in media-a crisis directly linked to the epidemic of missing and murdered Native and Indigenous women and girls. Proceeds support Native Women Write, the festival’s scholarship and mentorship program for emerging Native women filmmakers.
This year’s NWIFTV Media Impact Award will honor The Apache Stronghold Women and Girls, whose unwavering commitment protects Oak Flat and defends Apache religious freedom. Through courage and resilience, they confront multibillion-dollar corporations and government interests to safeguard their traditional way of life, serving as a powerful example of strength and advocacy.
In previous years, the event was held at the Four Seasons; however, due to limited industry support, this year’s gala will be more intimate and exclusive-offering a focused, impactful experience for attendees.
Sponsors of the Festival & Awards include Novo Foundation, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and Red Nation Television Network.
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Press Contact:
Liz Kramer
media@rednation.com
818.665.5753
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ABOUT
The 2026 Native Women in Film Festival (NWIFTV) is a groundbreaking, five-day international film festival held annually in Los Angeles during the week leading up to the Academy Awards®. As the first and largest film festival in the world dedicated exclusively to Native and Indigenous women filmmakers, NWIFTV occupies a singular and essential space within the global entertainment ecosystem. The festival elevates Native women’s voices at a moment when the world’s attention is focused on cinema, awards recognition, and cultural influence, ensuring that Native and Indigenous women are not marginalized during awards season-but centered within it.
NWIFTV is produced by the Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI), a Native-led nonprofit organization with over three decades of leadership in advancing Indigenous representation, cultural sovereignty, and artistic excellence across film, television, and media arts. The festival reflects RNCI’s long-standing commitment to dismantling systemic barriers within the entertainment industry while creating sustainable pathways for Native women filmmakers to thrive professionally and creatively.
