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

This nine-month fellowship uplifting narrative sovereignty, community-centered storytelling, and new pathways for impact and distribution.

Seattle, WA — 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.

______________________________________________________________________________

Partners & Support
The 2026 4th World Media Lab is made possible through the generous support of partners and sponsors including Perspective Fund, Color Congress, Ford Foundation, ITVS and Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), alongside festival partners SIFF, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, and Points North Institute. 

About 4th World Media
4th World Media is a matriarch-led collective weaving together communities dedicated to media justice, narrative sovereignty, solidarity, reciprocity, and the holistic care of Indigenous, Black, Brown, Trans, and Queer creatives. Born from 10 years of community cultivation, we nurture innovative storytellers through holistic production, post-production, distribution, and impact services for intersectional environmental, cultural and social justice projects.

About Seattle International Film Festival 
Founded in 1976, Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a 501(c)(3) Seattle-based arts nonprofit dedicated to creating vibrant experiences and spaces that champion film discovery and arts education. As an Academy Award–qualifying festival in three categories—and one of the largest film festivals in the world—SIFF serves as a major gathering hub for independent cinema, documentaries, Indigenous-made stories, and international film.

About Big Sky Institute & Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Rooted in the heart of the mountain west, The Big Sky Film Institute is a leading arts and education non-profit dedicated to the transformative power of documentary film. Our work empowers a diverse range of filmmakers, promotes media literacy for all ages and presents global perspectives that inspire our engaged communities. 

For over 20 years BSFI has been showcasing global stories to a growing regional, national and international audience. Beginning in 2004 as a modest, local arts event in Missoula, MT, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) has grown to become a prolific 10-day event and established itself as Montana’s premier cinema event and the largest documentary film festival in the American West. Hundreds of filmmakers, industry professionals, and over 20,000 highly engaged filmgoers attend screenings, live events, educational programs and film industry forums. An Academy Award-qualifying event, BSDFF brings stories from around the world to our beautiful mountain town, creates a vibrant, quality event that gathers our engaged community, and expands the knowledge and conversation around issues that matter. 

About Points North & Camden International Film Festival
Established in 2016, Points North Institute is the launching pad for the next generation of nonfiction storytellers. Building on the success of the Camden International Film Festival, Points North brings together a unique, interdisciplinary community of filmmakers, artists, journalists, industry leaders, and audiences, forming a creative hub on the coast of Maine where new stories and talent are discovered, collaborations are born, and the future of nonfiction media is shaped. Programs include the annual Camden International Film Festival and Points North Forum, as well as a year-round calendar of artist development initiatives that nurture the careers of diverse nonfiction storytellers and help them develop a stronger artistic voice. Founded in 2005 and recognized as one of the top documentary film festivals in the world, the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) brings innovative nonfiction cinema to the coast of Maine, showcasing 50+ documentary films and immersive works from around the globe each fall.

Please send all press inquiries to:

SIFF
Ryan Davis of Smarthouse Creative: ryan@smarthousecreative.com

Media Contact for 4th World Media:
Tracy Rector: tracy@4thworldmedia.org