2025 Film Guide

• 20 pounds to happiness 20 Pounds to Happiness is about a full figured Latina who joins a Real Women Have Curves Support Group to cope with her critical mother, who must decide whether to get gastric bypass surgery with her renegade friends from the support group or risk losing... See Details

A

• Abby Scott: The Rezball Legacy Abby Scott: A Rezball Legacy is a short documentary produced by youth from the Warm Springs Community Action Team, led by filmmakers LaRonn Katchia and Brutis Baez. The film offers an intimate portrait of Abby Scott (Warm Springs), a coach whose passion for mentorship goes... See Details

B

• Basket Lady Three young Indigenous women must contest with a power beyond their own worst nightmares, in this fictional depiction of a traditional Ute legend. Lisha, Lyric, and Riley are three young Native Ute teens who must heed the warnings of their elders or face the deadly... See Details
• Bdote: A Birthing Island “You Are Here” is a public history series about stories of people, place, and the past. “Bdote: A Birthing Island” is a episode that traces the Dakota people’s profound connection to Bdote, where the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers meet. Through the lens of Dakota oral... See Details
• The Beguiling What seems to be a burgeoning romance between two Natives takes a sinister turn as one grows suspicious of the other’s Indigenous heritage. When confronted, deceit turns their romantic evening into a darkly comedic nightmare. See Details
• Blacktop Poets: The story of without Rez Through a series of archival footage, pictures, and interviews, filmmaker Mike J. Marin chronicles the rise of Native hip-hop told by Without Rezervation (WOR), the first recognized Native American rap group in the United States. Chris “MC Hiddese” Lamarr, Kevin “Mac Nez” Nez, and Mike... See Details
• BRAIDS “BRAIDS” follows a young Native American boy, Raven, who grapples with identity, tradition, and societal pressures in a world that often misunderstands his heritage. Through the lens of a single school day, the film explores the struggle between maintaining cultural integrity and conforming to societal... See Details

C

• CARLY BUCKETS A small Choctaw reservation gets behind Tribal member Carly Keats, as she overcomes hardships and adversity in taking her basketball journey to the University of Arkansas. See Details
• Choices After a devastating family emergency, Elly is faced with the difficult decision to follow her dreams or leave the love of her life behind. See Details
• Condomania A young, quirky store clerk’s day takes a turn when she must assist a teenage boy in purchasing condoms for the first time. See Details
• Crystal Cross rystal Cross is the story of Dotty, a Christian singer in trouble, intent on reversing her fate. When she eyes James, who looks a whole lot like Jesus, that’s her sign from God — her ride out of town. Only James is no Jesus. After... See Details

D

• Dene Brother A short documentary about a Dene Brother set in the Northwest Territories, Canada. See Details
• Drowned Land Logline: Deep in the Choctaw Nation of rural Oklahoma rages a fight to preserve the Kiamichi River, reckoning with a cycle of land loss for the Indigenous diaspora and the community at large. Winding its way through southeastern Oklahoma, the Kiamichi River is a bastion... See Details

F

• From the Heart of a Monster A Nimiipuu filmmaker reflects on their relationship to their homeland See Details

G

• Generation Warrior Generation Warrior is a deep and intimate film about a group of young Native Americans and their stories, told in their own words, of the challenges they face becoming warriors in a violent and changing world. Although they have grown up surrounded by their tribes... See Details
• GHOST A Native American action short about redemption. A former elite operative leaves a violent past behind to raise his daughter in peace. But when she’s taken by the shadows he once served, he’s forced to return to the life he tried to escape. Now, with... See Details
• Green Hill After reconnecting with his high school crush Mercedes, Matthew is inspired to break free from his lonely, stagnant life. But when a chance encounter with his ex-girlfriend sends him spiraling back into old habits, he must confront his past in order to find a new... See Details
• Grey ‘Grey’ is an experimental hybrid about a Native American woman grappling with aging, identity, and generational trauma. Finding a grey hair in her long, dark hair unsettles her, symbolizing more than aging—it connects her to a violent lineage personified by a haunting male figure from... See Details
• Guardian of the Land Indigenous Peoples of the Nch’i-Wána, or Columbia River, know Bigfoot not as a monster but as a protector, a spiritual being that walks between the seen and unseen. For thousands of years, oral histories of Bigfoot have been passed down as a knowledge system, rooting... See Details
• Guts A hungry drifter on the Navajo reservation embarks on a comedic adventure to steal ceremonial sheep intestines, weaving together an uproarious tale that pays homage to Navajo folk stories and language. See Details

H

• Healing Journey: Comanche Academy Comanche Academy, A Healing Journey, follows a group of Comanche educators in Lawton, OK as they open an Indigenous charter school to reclaim their nation. In doing so, they confront the deep generational impact caused by boarding schools. With less than ten fluent Comanche speakers... See Details
• HUNGRYLAND A fame-hungry influencer and his devoted cameraman stage a BBQ mukbang in the deep desert on sacred land but their livestream turns into a real nightmare, haunted by the spirits of Tony’s regrets. See Details
• Hunt’s Trading Post Operated by a Navajo Nation citizen, Hunt’s Trading Post serves Native community in a majority-white town. See Details

I

• Inkwo for When the Starving Return Two lifetimes from now the world hangs in the balance. Dove, a young, enigmatic, gender-shifting warrior, discovers the gifts and burdens of their Inkwo (medicine) to defend against an army of hungry, ferocious monsters. Dove’s courage, resilience and alliance with the Earth culminates in a... See Details

J

• Juice A woman falls deeply in love with a beautiful orange, cherishing it as her soulmate- Until, in a moment of passion, she eats it, leaving her heartbroken. See Details
• Just One Bite A man experiences his childhood memories by making his mom’s soup recipe. See Details

K

• Keep Your Eyes Open Michael suffers from self-inflicted insomnia in an effort to avoid confronting grief head on. After the loss of his partner, Michael does everything he can to avoid sleeping. He knows when he sleeps, he will inevitably dream about what he has lost. What should be... See Details

L

• Legend of fry-Roti: Rise of the dough A Navajo/Bengali niece kneads to find dough-mestic harmony when her aunties burst into a frybread vs. roti showdown. With all the ingredients of her culture, she must cook up her own recipe for belonging. See Details
• Legend of fry-Roti: Rise of the dough A Navajo/Bengali niece kneads to find dough-mestic harmony when her aunties burst into a frybread vs. roti showdown. With all the ingredients of her culture, she must cook up her own recipe for belonging. See Details
• Lookout 32 Isolated, a lookout host discovers a terrifying Native American legend. See Details
• Lost in Your Thoughts A woman undergoes EMDR therapy and enters a physical manifestation of her memories looking for her lost sister. See Details

M

• Masali: To Begin to Heal Native fashion is not just an image of headdresses and deerskin covers, yet mainstream media has long settled for these stereotypical presentations — in New York City though, an Indigenous model from the Pacific Northwest strives to represent a tie between modern fashion and traditional wear, bringing... See Details
• Midnight at the Lonely River When the lights go out at a seedy little motel bar, at the crossroads of a seedy little town, nefarious happenings are taking place and three predators are enacting their evil deeds. Enter Vicky, a drifter who quickly realizes what’s happening right under everyone’s nose.... See Details
• Midnight in the Orange Grove Based on true events, MIDNIGHT IN THE ORANGE GROVE is the story of a young woman who is jarred into remembering a tragedy long buried in her subconscious. Through therapy, a blossoming romance, and the appearance of a mysterious woman, past and present collide as... See Details
• Missing Time Government Agent Blackwell must listen to a UFO abductee tell her fantastic story about a recent incident, with a surprising result See Details
• The Moth It’s 2039 in Omagakii First Nation. The land has been consumed by lithium mines and the Nuclear Waste Corporation has buried 100,000 tonnes of Canada’s nuclear waste in the ground. Few were prepared for the disaster. An Ogichidaa-Kwe who refused to evacuate survives in isolation,... See Details
• MY FRIEND SAABE “My Friend Saabe follows Lindy, a spirited Anishinaabe girl whose closest companion is Saabe, the towering being of Anishinaabe teachings. To Lindy, Saabe is a trusted friend who brings comfort and guidance as she moves through life on the reserve. With her Auntie’s teachings in... See Details
• My Friend the Green Horse Blending live-action footage and stop-motion animation, My Friend the Green Horse shares the remarkable true story of the childhood of Alanis Obomsawin, one of the world’s great documentary filmmakers. Often feeling lost and alone, the young Alanis found solace and companionship in the Animal World.... See Details

N

• Neah Bay: Restoring Ancestral Waters For thousands of years Makah Tribal fishermen like Robert Moss hunted for traditional foods in the waters of Washington’s Neah Bay. But today thousands of tons of marine debris literally loom over the Makah Tribe’s ancestral waters, threatening to choke the waters that sustained these... See Details

P

• Poacher’s Paradise A group of Poachers hunt on Indigenous lands where they unexpectedly are being hunted by an unknown threat. See Details
• Pow! A Native American kid scrambles to charge his dying video game console at a bustling intertribal powwow. See Details

R

• Redbird Johnthony Redbird’s day of drinking gets interrupted by Sasquatch. See Details
• The River That Untangles One’s Mind Created as an educational resource for the Illuminating Worldviews project, ‘The River That Untangles One’s Mind’ invites audiences on a reflective journey into the reciprocal and symbiotic relationship between language, worldview, and world-making. Alongside Yukon First Nations and Alaska Native language speakers, artists, and knowledge-keepers,... See Details
• Rookie Rookie, a fresh academy graduate, is partnered with Inspector Singer, a hardened investigator with nearly 30 years on the force and little patience for newcomers. When the pair responds to an anonymous tip, the situation quickly spirals out of control. Rookie “accidentally” shoots a suspect,... See Details

S

• Saq Mikté and the Spirit of the Mask In a forgotten community, an artisan girl puts an old K’iche’ invocation to the test and summons a curious spirit into our world. See Details
• Scare of the Night In the first ever brickfilm done in the Cherokee language, a Cherokee couple hears noises coming from around their property, and they confront what ought to be a real scare of their night. See Details
• She Cried That Day She Cried That Day is the story of a sister’s love and the spirit, strength and will of Indigenous Women refusing to let their loved ones remain invisible in the eyes of the justice system. See Details
• SOMETHING NEW When Daniel gets caught stealing food, the store manager calls his uncle Bernie to come get him. Bernie brings Daniel over for a home-cooked meal, where Daniel learns that his uncle danced traditionally. Inspired, Daniel learns how to grass dance and in the process discovers... See Details

T

• Tahi Two Yaqui men venture into Arizona seeking aid for their people, however after being tricked they are led through the desert by a sacred flame. Spoken in Yaqui See Details
• This is Indian Country-Hollywood n this captivating episode of This is Indian Country, we journey to Hollywood, where we meet trailblazer Tantoo Cardinal, who has shattered glass ceilings for Native actors. Tantoo shares her inspiring story of how her ancestors paved the way for her success as one of... See Details
• Totem Ashley Harrah is a “pretendian” falsely claiming Native American heritage to boost her popularity as an online influencer. Her latest video takes her on a vision quest for a sacred totem pole she discovers is cursed, not sacred. See Details

U

• Uncle Lyle Set on the Piikani Nation, Uncle Lyle is an Indigenous comedy follows Billy, a carefree Indigenous teen, who asks his unreliable but well meaning Uncle Lyle for a ride to school. Lyle, freshly fired from his job, he drowns his sorrows at the local bar,... See Details
• Up and Down the River As the Revolutionary War brews in 1700s Connecticut, all the Mohegan men decide to fight, but it had always been the Mohegan women who decided these matters. As more and more change appears to be on its way, the Mohegan women fear how many more... See Details

V

• Vaha’a | The Distance Between After his mother’s death, a boxer struggles with grief and a strained relationship with his father, who coaches him in the ring but remains distant outside of it, forcing him to fight both opponents and inner demons. See Details

W

• W7éyle (moon’s wife) In a near future where a pill for immortality exists, a Secwépemc woman must choose between living forever or having a child. But to choose immortality means to never return to her ancestors in the afterlife. See Details
• Waabishki (White) Mashkode-bizhiki( Bison ) The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, gifted not one, but five white buffalo calves to area tribal nations around present day North Dakota. This is more than just a simple gesture. It’s the sharing of medicine, which fulfills a spiritual prophecy among indigenous tribes... See Details
• ‘Wa̱ts’a Set in 1960s Port Edward, ‘WAT’SA is a haunting, all-Sm’algya̱x horror based on a powerful Tsimshian Adaawak. As Jeremy works a late shift in the North Pacific Cannery, a shape-shifting river otter spirit begins to stalk him, blurring the line between reality and the supernatural... See Details
• When Girls Go Missing The film centers around a young girl named Jamie, who is about to leave the reservation to study to be a doctor. Her friends decide to have one last night of fun together in the woods before she leaves but they get caught drinking underage.... See Details
• Wind Rabbit Wind Rabbit is a video poem in the experimental genre inspired by train poetry written on a long three-day train ride from Niagara Ontario to Miami Florida in 2024. Original poetry by January Rogers. Soundscape by January Rogers. As a train rider enthusiast, and Haudenosaunee... See Details

Y

• Yáamay: An Ode to Blooming Using original poetry as the foundation, we are taken through a journey examining what it means to be a contemporary California Indigenous woman. With a montage of modern, archival, and animatic visuals, this film becomes as dynamic and alive as the women telling their stories.... See Details