For over a century, Native Americans have been the objects of film, their likeness projected onto screens, capturing the world’s attention with their buckskinned form, and giving John Wayne something to do with his career. But it wasn’t until they moved behind the camera, becoming producers, writers, and directors, that they truly became subjects of great works of cinema.
Films about North American Indians (or Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island) have often said little about Indigenous people, yet they speak volumes about the lack of relationship the film industry had to them. For most of the history of cinema, the world has known the Hollywood Indian stereotype – sometimes a white person in redface. But now Indigenous creators have stepped in to tell their own stories, wiping off the war paint, dropping the loin cloths, and filling movie screens with stories and characters that convey the complex nature of living as an Indigenous human being.
In 2019, Indigenous talents were finally recognized as major players in the American movie industry, with Academy Awards given to long-time actors like Wes Studi (Dances with Wolves, Hostiles, and 103 other movies), and screenwriters and directors like part-Maori Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit). Netflix, Apple TV+, CBC Gem, The Sundance Channel, and many other streaming platforms are taking more works by Indigenous talent to global audiences. It’s been said that we are currently experiencing an Indigenous renaissance; regardless what you call the present moment across Indian country, it makes for amazing cinema.
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the following list features some of the top films from the past 30 years made by Indigenous people (Native American, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) from across Turtle Island. We also included a couple of series, such as the critically acclaimed Reservation Dogs. The list runs the gamut, spanning genres from horror (Blood Quantum) and binge-worthy thrillers (Trickster), to documentaries (Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, Trudell) and critically acclaimed classics (Smoke Signals, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner). You’ll also find lesser-known but well-loved indie flicks (Empty Metal, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open), and our guide will cross colonially imposed borders, reaching far north into Inuit territory (On the Ice, Angry Inuk), and southwest to Navajo and Seminole country (Mekko, Fukry).
The following list of 30 includes some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful, hair-raising, hilarious, and innovative entertainment that you will find anywhere – ordered from Certified Fresh to Fresh, ranked by tomatometer. And you won’t even miss the buckskin. – Kerry Potts
Kerry Potts (Ojibway of mixed heritage) is a college professor who teaches Indigenous film and media, and has spent the last 20-plus years working for Indigenous arts organizations, including the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival.
Critics Consensus: An urgent drama grounded in its observant depiction of reservation life, Fancy Dance establishes director/co-writer Erica Tremblay as a rising filmmaking talent.
Synopsis: Since her sister's disappearance, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has cared for her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) by scraping by on the [More]
Critics Consensus: An Inuit story finally told by Inuit filmmakers, The Fast Runner has the breadth and pacing of ancient myth while also feeling vitally alive.
Synopsis: A depiction of the Inuit people of the Canadian arctic, telling the story of a crime that ruptures the trust [More]
Critics Consensus:RUMBLE shines a long overdue spotlight on key contributions to the American musical lexicon, satisfying rock scholars while offering a fascinating -- albeit sobering -- primer on the foundations of a genre.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Catherine Bainbridge examines the role of Native Americans in contemporary music history. She exposes a critical missing chapter, revealing [More]
Critics Consensus:Smoke Signals tells a familiar story from an underrepresented point of view, proving that a fresh perspective can help subvert long-established expectations.
Synopsis: Arnold (Gary Farmer) rescued Thomas (Evan Adams) from a fire when he was a child. Thomas thinks of Arnold as [More]
Critics Consensus:The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open uses an encounter between two strangers as the catalyst for a thoughtful drama as poetic as its title.
Synopsis: After a chance encounter on the street, a woman encourages a pregnant domestic abuse victim to seek help. [More]
Critics Consensus: Putting an Indigenous spin on the classic sports movie formula, Rez Ball dominates the court with its authentic feel for culture and setting.
Synopsis: In the heart of Chuska, New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team rich in Native American heritage, [More]
Critics Consensus:Deidre & Laney Rob a Train -- and our hearts -- in this well-executed teen thrill ride supported by great performances and expert direction.
Synopsis: Two sisters (Ashleigh Murray, Rachel Crow) turn to train robbery to make ends meet after their mother is arrested and [More]
Critics Consensus: An historic film, The Exiles combines gritty realism and a loosely-spun, improvisational narrative to capture the lives of Native Americans adrift in a run-down Los Angeles neighborhood in the early 1960s.
Synopsis: In a Native American neighborhood in Los Angeles, Homer (Homer Nish) lives with his pregnant wife, Yvonne (Yvonne Williams), in [More]
Synopsis: Since their high school graduation, former Spokane Reservation best friends Seymour (Evan Adams, Smoke Signals) and Aristotle (Gene Tagaban) have [More]
Critics Consensus: John Trudell has led a fascinating life -- unfortunately, Trudell the documentary largely fails to translate it into a compelling viewing experience.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Heather Rae documents the life and work of American Indian activist John Trudell. In the late 60's, John and [More]
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