17th Edition Native Women in Film Festival

March 10 - 13, 2026

As Featured In

17th Edition Native Women in Film Festival

Women of Color
Decolonizing The Entertainment Industry
Films Directed by Women

March 9th – March 13th 2026

Pre-Oscar Industry Gala

Native Women in Media Impact Award

Celebrating the year’s most accomplished Native Indigenous female storytellers, influencers, humanitarians, and artists, this prestigious accolade takes center stage during the week leading up to the Academy Awards.

Photos from the 15th Edition NWIFTV Native Women In Film Festival pre-Oscar industry brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.

NWIFTV is an initiative of Red Nation Celebration Institute

Native Women in Film & Television in All Media – Film Festival. The first and largest representation of Native and Indigenous Women Filmmakers. NWIFTV is a program of Red Nation Celebration Institute. NWIFTV serves under its fiscal partner Red Nation Celebration Institute The Creative Enterprise by Natives delivering to all people the stories that shape our world. RNCI the longest standing Native Women-Led Indigenous Media, Arts & Cultural nonprofit in the history of the Entertainment Industry.

Empowering Native and Indigenous Storytellers.

"In 2024, the NWIFTV Festival proudly screened 45 films directed by women, achieving a remarkable milestone as the largest number of films by Native and non-Native women directors to date. Surpassing renowned festivals such as Toronto Film Festival, Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca, and the Oscars in numbers, this accomplishment is truly extraordinary. As we celebrate our 15th year with the NWIFTV film festival, the past seven years have shown a consistent trend of leadership in championing women directors from a Native perspective." – Founder / Director Joanelle Romero

RNCI designed this program to connect people with deeply moving stories of those within our community to lead the entertainment industry to become more inclusive of our storytellers. In 2018, NWIFTV launched a media campaign WHY WE WEAR RED bringing a global awareness to the lack of inclusion of Native Women in Film & Television, which is directly linked to the epidemic of Murdered and Missing Native Women & Girls.