My 4th World Media Lab Journey

Amidst the intense challenges that spanned the entire year of 2025, participating as a fellow in the 10th cohort with the 4th World Media Lab was truly a liberating and grounding experience. Rooted in the preservation of Indigenous lifeways with filmmaking as the waterway, the 4th World Media organization of Tracy, Stina, Jonah, Olive and Chris along with festival partners Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (Julia and Victoria), Seattle International Film Festival (Tracy, Taylor, Solomon and Megan), Camden International Film Festival (Zeshawn, Sean and Yvonne), and ITVS (Jannet, Janet, Pam and Nolan) all welcomed me and my fellow cohort with open arms, offering the opportunity to shape and transform my vision of a Queer Indigenous story through mentorship, collective learning, and artistic experimentation.

A vulnerable truth for myself as a Two Spirit filmmaker today is the discouraging reality that there aren’t many opportunities designed specifically to support emerging Indigenous storytellers with the resources and time needed to grow. Spaces like the 4th World fellowship are rare and sacred, providing the necessary conditions for deep creative practice while nurturing the spiritual and emotional aspects of filmmaking. Storytelling is an ancestrally guided practice of Indigenous Peoples all over the globe; this belief grounds every moment of my journey as a 4th World Media Lab Fellow and reminds me that our stories are not only art but acts of survival and love.

At every stage of this fellowship, I found that applying the power of kinship was the key to sustaining meaningful progress as an emerging Indigenous filmmaker. One of my biggest fears has always been creating in isolation for example going through the process of development without community. That loneliness is one of the most contrary experiences an Indigenous person could feel. Learning from the experienced mentors of the 4th World Media Lab, who intentionally carve a pathway for emerging storytellers to grow, learn, connect, and thrive, was woven into every festival experience, including the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and Camden International Film Festival. Each of these gatherings became a classroom of heart, land, and story.

As this fellowship cycle comes to a close, I realize it is not an ending but a transformative beginning. I am walking forward grounded in the understanding that the community that comprises 4th World Media Lab is one committed to forging memorable connections, encouraging Indigenous creativity, and empowering the storytellers it nurtures to prevail with everlasting bravery and assuring we will always have kinship with one another.