Indigenous Filmmakers Win New Fellowship

4th World Media Lab has named five Indigenous filmmakers to its 11th fellowship cohort for a nine-month program spanning festival gatherings in Seattle and Camden, Maine. The 2026 cohort brings together artists from across Turtle Island and Pasifika for support on feature and short projects, according to announcements from the organization and the Seattle International Film Festival. Organizers said the program is focused on narrative sovereignty, community-centered storytelling, and new approaches to impact and distribution. The fellowship’s Seattle portion ran May 14-18 as part of SIFF, with a later session scheduled for September at the Camden International Film Festival. ### Which filmmakers were selected this year? The 2026 cohort includes Noelani Kanuha Auguston, Montana Cypress, Lokotah Sanborn, Banchi Hanuse and Quannah ChasingHorse, according to 4th World Media Lab’s fellows page and SIFF’s festival materials. The group spans Coast Salish Territory, California, Maine, British Columbia and broader Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. Noelani Kanuha Auguston is identified by the program as Nooksack, Shxwha:y and Kanaka and based in Coast Salish Territory. Banchi Hanuse is listed as Nuxalk Nation from British Columbia, while Quannah ChasingHorse is identified as Hän Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota. Montana Cypress is listed as Miccosukee and based in California, and Lokotah Sanborn is identified as a Penobscot descendant from Maine. ### How is the fellowship structured? SIFF’s program page describes 4th World Media Lab as a year-long fellowship for emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers. The program includes festival participation, training, masterclasses, project workshops, pitch activities and meetings with funders and industry decision-makers. The 2026 fellowship activities run from February through October at three festivals: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival and the Camden International Film Festival, according to SIFF. The public announcement about the 11th cohort highlighted the May 14-18 Seattle gathering and said the group will reconvene Sept. 14-20 in Camden during CIFF and the Points North Forum. ### What are organizers saying the fellowship is trying to do? SIFF said this year’s central theme is “outreach, impact, and distribution” at a time when distribution channels are changing. The festival page says the fellowship is examining how stories move “across communities, across borders, across tribal nations and across generations.” The same materials say the program is exploring distribution models that “prioritize care over extraction” and impact strategies that remain accountable to the people represented on screen. In the cohort announcement, organizers described the lab as a space for emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers to strengthen craft, build networks and advance projects rooted in cultural integrity and community care. ### Who is behind 4th World Media Lab? SIFF’s festival page says 4th World Media Lab was founded by Pacific Northwest filmmaker Tracy Rector and is guided by 4th World Media. The organization describes itself as a partnership of festivals, funders and film-industry allies working to mentor, train and sustain Indigenous filmmakers and their careers. The 2026 cohort announcement said the fellowship is organized by 4th World Media in partnership with SIFF, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Camden International Film Festival. SIFF also lists ITVS, Pacific Islanders in Communications, Perspective Fund and Color Congress as continuing funding partners. ### Why does Seattle figure so prominently in this year’s announcement? Seattle International Film Festival hosted the cohort’s May convening as part of its 2026 festival programming. Patch’s local report on the announcement said organizers see the fellowship as strengthening Indigenous film leadership and distribution opportunities in Seattle and beyond. The Seattle stop is one piece of a multi-festival model. The next major public milestone is the Sept. 14-20 gathering in Camden, Maine, where the fellows are scheduled to continue the program during CIFF and the Points North Forum.