By Stephanie Ornelas
It's been a remarkable year for Indigenous artists. Native and Indigenous filmmakers were a key part of Robert Redford's vision when he founded the Sundance Institute, and they remain one of the organization's most vibrant and dynamic communities.
Upholding its mission to support these important stories, the 2022 Sundance Film Festival held its Native Forum Celebration, presented by Nia Tero and the Cherokee Nation, where it announced the recipient of the 2022 Merata Mita Fellowship: California filmmaker Fox Maxy (Pay mkawichum and Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians).
Named in honor of the late M ori filmmaker and Sundance Institute alumna Merata Mita, one of the first M ori women to write and direct a dramatic feature film, the fellowship is designed strictly for Indigenous women-identified artists and aspiring filmmakers.
I'm very grateful to be honored for this opportunity, says Maxy. Merata [Mita] was a powerful force of a filmmaker and a powerful force of a caretaker. She cared for her family, her land, her culture, and she was fierce about it. I think people tend to want to package things in a neat, pretty, and digestible way, but she was unafraid to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm someone who doesn't want to hold back either.
Maxy's first feature film, Watertight, features a collection of interviews about mental health and suicide, interrupted by fake commercials, reality TV parodies, animations, and archival footage.
We're finally able to tell our stories. It's something I would have loved to talk to Merata about. Filmmaking as an art is something that saves me every day. I don't worry about anyone's opinion anymore and that's the biggest force behind my storytelling.
The celebration, moderated by Adam Piron, interim director of the Indigenous Program at the Sundance Institute, kicked off with a remarkable opening blessing by Bart Powakee and the Red Spirit Singers from the Ute Tribal Nation. Viewers then got a chance to hear from Institute Board member Amy Redford and the Sundance Institute CEO, Joana Vicente.
This program is inflecting our cultural dialogue and has not only fostered a community, but it has created a family of Indigenous filmmakers and artists spanning three generations, says Vicente. This program has become the model for our outreach and inclusion work across the Institute.
Something incredibly unique about the program is that it's supported by organizations that are also Native-run and led, one being the Cherokee Nation Film Office. The forum welcomed Film Office director Jennifer Loren and Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. to the virtual stage, where they revealed that the organization will be committing up to one million dollars in annual funding for rebates for films produced within the Cherokee Nation reservation.
Being part of the film industry is something that's very important to me as chief because I believe in it. I believe in its power and I'm certain it's in the best interest of the Cherokee Nation for us to partner all we can and develop the industry, says Hoskin.
Partnership has been key to our success. We've developed so many important relationships within the industry and state and local partners, and we want to continue in that spirit.
A breathtaking landscape in northeast Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation Film Office's 7,000 square-mile reservation will provide many opportunities for Indigenous storytelling.
This incentive will be a powerful tool for the industry and the economic development for the Cherokee Nation. I'm excited at the prospects of bringing more production to our reservation, more opportunities for our people to go to work and develop relationships in the industry.
Since 1994, the Native Forum has become a place for Indigenous artists to gather and share their stories, experiences, and struggles. More importantly, it's designed to build a community.
We'll always continue to focus on new ways to express ourselves and our art, says Piron. Throughout this pandemic that continues into the coming year, we have to value our strengths even more as Indigenous people, he adds.
The resiliency that comes within our culture and our history, as well as the creativity of our artists, needs to be valued too.
The Cherokee Nation Film Incentive is a 20% cash rebate that will incentivize film productions to hire Native writers, casts, and crews, and to use Native-written scripts. Information will be available at https://cherokee.film/
North America Stories
26/03/2026
Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...
26/03/2026
SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...
26/03/2026
LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100).
The C-Ban...
26/03/2026
The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...
26/03/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...
26/03/2026
Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...
26/03/2026
FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...
26/03/2026
CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...
26/03/2026
Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...
26/03/2026
Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...
26/03/2026
DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...
26/03/2026
Nationals.TV, the Washington Nationals' local broadcast channel, is now avai...
26/03/2026
Starting Thursday, March 26, MLB.TV will be available on the ESPN App, giving fans access to more than 2,000 out-of-market regular season games. Fans can also r...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
By Stephanie Ornelas 
