Native News
4th World Media Lab Announces 2026 Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship Cohort
The 11th cohort of the 4th World Media Lab will convene this month in Seattle and later this fall in Maine, bringing together Indigenous filmmakers from across Turtle Island and Pasifika for a nine-month fellowship focused on narrative sovereignty, community-centered storytelling, and new pathways for impact and distribution.
The fellowship, organized by 4th World Media in partnership with Seattle International Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Camden International Film Festival, will take place May 14–18 during SIFF programming in Seattle and continue Sept. 14–20 at CIFF’s annual festival and Points North Forum in Camden, Maine.
Now in its 11th year, the 4th World Media Lab has become an important space for emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers to strengthen their craft, expand professional networks, and advance projects rooted in cultural integrity and community accountability.
Organizers said this year’s fellowship arrives at a pivotal moment for Indigenous storytelling and the broader media industry, with increasing attention being paid to community-led models of outreach, impact, and distribution.
“At a moment of profound disruption within the global media landscape, the 2026 Lab centers on outreach, impact, and distribution, areas increasingly shaped by shifting power dynamics and the emergence of community-led frameworks,” organizers said in a statement. “As traditional industry gatekeepers lose relevance, new models grounded in reciprocity, relationship, and narrative sovereignty are taking hold.”
Filmmaker Tracy Rector, founder of the fellowship, said storytelling carries responsibilities beyond entertainment.
“Stories do not simply move across screens,” Rector said. “They move across communities, across borders, across generations. This Lab is a space to reimagine how storytelling can be accountable to those most reflected on screen.”
Throughout the hybrid fellowship, participants will take part in masterclasses, project workshops, mentorship opportunities, pitch sessions, and meetings with funders and industry leaders. Organizers said the program encourages fellows to develop distribution strategies focused on long-term cultural impact rather than short-term visibility.
The fellowship was founded by Rector and is guided by 4th World Media, a global organization supporting Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Queer, Trans, and historically marginalized storytellers. Over the years, the initiative has expanded into a year-long fellowship spanning three major international film festivals.
This year’s fellows represent a diverse range of Indigenous nations, artistic practices, and storytelling approaches.
Meet the 2026 Fellows
The 11th cohort reflects a powerful range of voices, practices, and geographies:
Noelani Kanuha Auguston (Nooksack | Shx̌whá:y | Kanaka)
A writer and producer grounded in Coast Salish territory, Auguston creates stories rooted in Indigenous worldviews and the lived realities of her community. Her work centers hopeful and transformative representations for Native youth, informed by her upbringing along the Nooksack River and her MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk Nation)
A filmmaker and co-founder of Nuxalk Radio, Hanuse has emerged as a leading voice in Indigenous documentary. Her recent feature Ceremony premiered at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival, earning the Documentary Spotlight Audience Award, building on the success of her earlier work including Before the Sun.
Montana Cypress (Miccosukee)
A multidisciplinary artist working across theater, film, and performance, Cypress brings a dynamic storytelling practice shaped by his roots in the Miccosukee Tribe. His work spans award-winning plays, documentary filmmaking, and screen acting, with recent appearances in Young Washington (2026).
Lokotah Sanborn (Penobscot descendant)
An interdisciplinary artist and community organizer, Sanborn’s work explores land return, cultural continuity, and Indigenous sovereignty through diverse media. His recent film Otherworld (2025) is a poetic exploration of Abenaki ancestral memory and resistance.
Quannah ChasingHorse (Hän Gwich’in/Oglala Lakota)
An internationally recognized land protector, model, and advocate, ChasingHorse brings a powerful intersection of cultural leadership and storytelling. From global fashion platforms to film and television, her work consistently uplifts Indigenous values, land stewardship, and intergenerational resilience.