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/
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan's 62nd Golden Hors...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
25/11/2025
Mathias Broe attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Sauna at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Fes...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
By Stephanie Ornelas 
