4th World Media Lab Announces 11th Cohort of Indigenous Filmmaker Fellows

4th World Media, in partnership with the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (Big Sky) and Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) proudly announces the 11th Cohort of its Indigenous filmmaker fellowship, taking place May 14–18, 2026, as part of SIFF’s festival programming and at CIFF this September 14-20, 2026 in Camden, Maine as part of the annual festival and Points North Forum.

Now in its eleventh year, the 4th World Media Lab continues to serve as a vital space for emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers to develop their craft, strengthen their networks, and advance projects rooted in cultural integrity and community care. This year’s cohort gathers five visionary artists from across Turtle Island and Pasifika, whose work reflects both artistic rigor and deep relational accountability.

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. As traditional industry gatekeepers lose relevance, new models grounded in reciprocity, relationship, and narrative sovereignty are taking hold.

“Stories do not simply move across screens,” said founder Tracy Rector. “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 engage in masterclasses, project workshops, individual mentorship, pitch sessions, and direct engagement with funders and industry leaders. Together, they will explore distribution strategies that prioritize long-term cultural impact over short-term exposure and develop approaches that center care rather than extraction.

4th World Media Lab was founded by filmmaker Tracy Rector and is guided by 4th World Media, a global organization dedicated to supporting Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Queer, Trans, and historically marginalized storytellers, in partnership with the three acclaimed festivals, and has grown into a year-long fellowship across three major international film festivals: the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival through Big Sky Film Institute, Seattle International Film Festival, and the Camden International Film Festival through Points North Institute. The 2026 fellowship offers sustained support rooted in cultural awareness and hybrid opportunities to connect, while providing key industry visibility.

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.