Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Announces Return of Native Cinema Showcase

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is bringing back its annual Native Cinema Showcase, an online celebration of Indigenous filmmakers and storytelling from across the Western Hemisphere and Arctic.

The virtual festival will be available on demand from Friday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. ET, through Friday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. ET. With the exception of Remaining Native, all films will be available for audiences worldwide.

Celebrating the creativity, perspectives and cultural heritage of Indigenous filmmakers, this year’s showcase features 14 films, including four feature-length productions and 10 short films. The lineup represents five countries—Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Uruguay and the United States—and six Indigenous languages: Chatino, Chuukese, Dené, Inuktitut, K’iche’ and Numu.

The selection spans documentaries, narrative features, animation and short-format storytelling, offering audiences an opportunity to experience Indigenous histories, contemporary experiences, cultural traditions and community connections through the voices of Indigenous creators.

Four Feature Films Highlight Indigenous Stories

This year’s feature-film lineup explores themes of identity, resilience, family, cultural continuity and belonging.

La Raya (Mexico, 2024, 80 minutes), directed by Yolanda Cruz (Chatino), is a coming-of-age story set in a remote mountain village in Oaxaca. When a refrigerator mysteriously appears, a clever young girl named Sotera sees an opportunity to make money by selling it. However, the unusual appliance begins revealing supernatural apparitions to the community. As these strange events unfold, Sotera must also confront an important personal decision: whether to leave her hometown and join her mother in the United States or remain connected to the mystical roots of her community. The film is presented in Spanish and Chatino with English subtitles.

In Medicine Ball (USA, 2026, 80 minutes), director Leya Hale (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota/Diné) follows Native college athletes Lexus Redthunder and Leroy Staples Fairbanks IV as they navigate academics, college life and basketball at the University of Minnesota Morris. Located on the grounds of a former Native boarding school, the university provides a meaningful backdrop for their experiences. The documentary explores how basketball has become a symbol of resilience, hope and cultural pride in Native communities.

Remaining Native (USA, 2025, 87 minutes), directed by Paige Bethmann (Haudenosaunee), tells the story of Ku Stevens, a gifted high school runner from Nevada’s Paiute Reservation who dreams of earning a college running scholarship. Torn between the demands of competitive athletics and the communal values of his community, Ku faces the challenge of pursuing his ambitions without a coach, team or scouts.

When the discovery of thousands of undocumented graves of Native American children at former boarding schools draws international attention, Ku’s family history becomes central to his journey. His great-grandfather escaped an Indian boarding school at just 8 years old by running away on foot. Inspired by that history, Ku retraces the 50-mile escape route in a powerful act of remembrance. His journey ends at the former school’s cemetery, where he brings people together to honor and mourn the children who lost their lives. Remaining Native is the only film in this year’s showcase that is not available worldwide.

The fourth feature, Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) (Canada, 2025, 100 minutes), is directed by Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk. Set in Igloolik, Nunavut, around 2000 BCE, the Inuktitut-language drama follows teenage lovers Kaujak and Sapa, whose lives are disrupted when Kaujak’s father dies and her mother marries a man from a distant camp. Despite having been promised to each other since birth, the young couple faces separation, aggressive suitors and the influence of a powerful shaman. Kaujak must hold on to her love and hope that Sapa will return to honor their childhood promise. The film includes scenes of physical violence and features English subtitles.

Ten Short Films Explore Culture, Identity and Community

The showcase’s short-film selection offers a diverse collection of stories centered on Indigenous traditions, language revitalization, family, food, environmental stewardship and community connections.

Among the selections is Becoming Buffalo (USA, 2025, 25 minutes), directed by Montana Cypress (Miccosukee). The documentary profiles Miccosukee tribal leader Buffalo Tiger, who led an 11-member Miccosukee delegation to Cuba during the tensions of the Cold War.

Cultural preservation takes center stage in Deneege Leł Ghu Kk’ots’eedeneeyh Te Heł Hoozoonh Ts’e Denots’edeneeyh/We Get Better When We Tan Moose Hides (USA, 2026, five minutes), directed by Brittany Woods-Orrison (Koyukon Dené). The film follows Kathleen Hildebrand and a group of Dené women working to revive the traditional art of brain-tanning hides, a practice once common among Dené people in Alaska but nearly lost through assimilation. The film is presented in Dené with English subtitles and contains scenes of hunting, trapping and animal preparation.

Language revitalization is explored in Do You Speak Paiute? (USA, 2025, four minutes), directed by Taylor Uchytil (Agai Dicutta Walker River Paiute). Through family and community experiences, the filmmaker examines efforts to preserve cultural knowledge and keep the Numu language alive.

The relationship between Indigenous people and the natural world is another recurring theme. In Iikaiksimatsa’pao’p: Grateful To Be on the Land (Canada, 2025, 13 minutes), Blackfoot filmmaker Trevor Solway follows Cassie Ayoungman, founder of Soul of Miistaki and a member of the Siksika Nation. Through climbing clinics that incorporate Indigenous teachings and land-based learning, Ayoungman works to make the healing power of the mountains more accessible to her community while challenging barriers to representation and outdoor recreation.

Food and cultural identity come together in Legend of Fry-Roti: Rise of the Dough (USA, 2025, nine minutes), directed by Sabrina Saleha (Navajo/Bengali). The animated story follows a niece caught between her Navajo and Bengali aunties during an epic culinary feud. By bringing together both heritages, she discovers her own sense of identity.

Family, cultural belonging and community responsibility are explored in Redbird (USA, 2024, 13 minutes), directed by Emma Barrow (Cherokee Nation). The film follows a Cherokee woman fighting to protect her niece from adoption by her white grandparents while confronting her own feelings of distance from Cherokee culture. The film features English and Cherokee dialogue with English subtitles.

Animation also brings Indigenous storytelling to life in Saq Nikté y El Espíritu de la Máscara/Saq Nikté and the Spirit of the Mask (Guatemala/Uruguay, 2025, five minutes), directed by Ester Weiner (Mayan). Told in K’iche’ with English subtitles, the film follows a young artisan in a forgotten community who tests an ancient K’iche’ invocation and summons a curious spirit into the world.

Set in Hawaiʻi, The Arrangements (USA, 2025, 15 minutes), directed by Sonny Ganaden, follows three Micronesian boys who have just one day to prepare for a friend’s funeral while searching for a secret treasure he left behind. The film is presented in English and Chuukese with English subtitles.

Environmental advocacy and intergenerational knowledge are at the heart of Tule (USA, 2024, four minutes), directed by Jocelyn Garcia (Pomo/Chicana). Through poetic reflections inspired by conversations with her elders, a contemporary Pomo girl discovers her voice and purpose as an advocate for Clear Lake’s endangered tule plant.

Rounding out the short-film lineup is Twisted Braid (USA, 2025, five minutes), directed by Ricky-Thomas Serikawa (Native Hawaiian). Named after the Hawaiian word meaning “to braid,” the film celebrates Hilo, a community on Hawaiʻi Island whose people share deep connections to the land, culture and one another. Through poetry, the film reflects on how creativity, cultural devotion and collective care can bring people together in an increasingly disconnected world.

Celebrating Indigenous Voices Through Film

Together, the 14 films demonstrate the breadth and diversity of Indigenous filmmaking across the Americas and Arctic. From stories of historical remembrance and cultural survival to contemporary family experiences, environmental advocacy and imaginative animation, the showcase highlights the importance of Indigenous voices in cinema.

The Native Cinema Showcase continues the Smithsonian’s commitment to sharing Indigenous perspectives and providing a platform for filmmakers to tell stories rooted in their own communities, languages and experiences.

The annual program is supported by The Walt Disney Company.

How to Watch: All films will be available on demand from Friday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. ET, through Friday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. ET. All films except Remaining Native will be accessible worldwide.