“Narrative sovereignty is essential in any community driven film and storytelling,” Tracy Rector told us. As Indigenous-made cinema begins to receive long-overdue recognition, the 4th World Media Lab—led by Tracy Rector—is reshaping the independent film landscape through narrative sovereignty, cultural uplifting, and healing through a community care praxis.
In recent years, Indigenous cinema has been enjoying a renewed and meaningful wave of attention—one that’s both promising and necessary. It’s not just about greater visibility for the films themselves, but also about the vital behind-the-scenes work that allows these stories to be told in the first place. In 2024, films like Sugarcane (directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie) and Yintah (directed by Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell and Michael Toledano), to name just two, earned the praise they deserved. More broadly, while significant systemic barriers remain—ranging from funding challenges to issues of narrative sovereignty—we’re seeing a growing number of key players in the independent film ecosystem launch thoughtful initiatives that support Indigenous talents and works with the appropriate mindset and resources. These efforts are helping creators bring their stories to life with agency and authenticity, offering audiences perspectives that are fresh, bold, and urgently necessary.
While the two examples above come from North America, that’s no coincidence: our focus here is on a North American initiative that stands out for its originality, effectiveness, and impact—one that is, in its own way, strengthening and uplifting Indigenous cinema.
4th World Media is a matriarch-led organization grounded in Indigenous and community driven values. It is dedicated to supporting historically marginalized filmmakers—particularly Indigenous, Black, Brown, and Queer voices—through holistic programs that prioritize narrative sovereignty, healing, and systemic transformation in the media landscape.
4th World Media’s foundational fellowship program, 4th World Media Lab, was founded in 2015 by Tracy Rector—a celebrated filmmaker, curator, impact producer, community organizer, and mentor whose award-winning body of work includes over 400 films amplifying Indigenous, Black and People of Color narratives—4th World Media Lab will mark its 10th anniversary this year at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), which runs in person from May 15 to 25 and online from May 26 to June 1.
At this year’s SIFF, Tracy Rector and the 4th World Media team will be involved in both the 4th World Media Lab—a program designed for emerging and mid-career Indigenous filmmakers, offering them trainings, guidance and access to key decision-makers—and the cINeDIGENOUS program, which showcases Indigenous-made cinema as part of the SIFF festival lineup.
It felt timely, then, to speak with Tracy Rector ahead of what promises to be an especially busy May 2025, to reflect on the collaboration between 4th World Media, the fellowship collective and the Seattle International Film Festival, and to explore the broader challenges and opportunities involved in promoting Indigenous cinema across North America and beyond.
Mehdi Balamissa: Can you tell us about your personal relationship with Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and how the festival supports Indigenous storytelling?
Tracy Rector: I started working with the Seattle International Film Festival 20 years ago as a community partner through their education program and films for young people. Since the very beginning, SIFF has been keen to provide ample space and resources for Indigenous initiatives and film education to other historically marginalized communities. In addition, they have been wonderful, active allies in screening and spotlighting Indigenous-made films—understanding that there’s a difference between stories coming from within the community and those about Indigenous themes and people told by outsiders. There’s room for both types of storytelling, with attention to protocols and proper permissions, but it is also an important action toward equity to recognize the work of Indigenous filmmakers who often have less access to platforms and distribution opportunities to get their films seen widely. Our spotlight program, cINeDIGENOUS, is a way to direct festival goers toward titles made by Indigenous filmmakers.
Mehdi Balamissa: Could you walk me through your curating process for the cINeDIGENOUS Program?
Tracy Rector: The curation process for cINeDIGENOUS and the rest of the festival begins with the open call for submissions with attention towards best practices in language and outreach that may evolve over time. SIFF has been in the habit of providing 4th World alumni and Indigenous festival participation alumni with waiver codes to submit new works. We also communicate with global Indigenous-led media organizations to request submissions and to share the waiver code with them as well. This practice has encouraged a wide array of filmmakers from across the world to submit their films and projects for consideration.
We have multiple programmers who review all the submissions and vote. For Indigenous-made stories that are selected, they are woven throughout the festival in the different genres and programs, but they are also highlighted with four days of focused attention in our spotlight showcase called cINeDIGENOUS. This program often includes 6–10 feature films—both narrative and documentary—a thematic shorts package (this year focusing on the Arctic Circle), and then shorts programmed alongside the features. As programmers, we collaborate on this yearly selection of films. For instance, in the African and South American film submissions, there are often filmmakers who identify as Indigenous, so we like to co-create opportunities for dialogue and discussion about these interconnected realities.
Some guiding principles include a diversity of genre and form, representation of new or emerging work, global programming, gender diversity and relationship to the Pacific Northwest.
Mehdi Balamissa: While the films you choose come from very diverse regions, do you find they resonate with one another through shared themes or concerns?
Tracy Rector: In Seattle and the surrounding region, there’s a very strong interest in Pacific Northwest–focused films. Stories from Blackfeet and Blackfoot communities, stories from Alaska, Canada, Pasifika, Aotearoa, and Sápmi all have a strong local following as well.
This year, we have four strong Pasifika made films coming from filmmakers who are Samoan, Māori, and Kanaka Maoli. There’s a large Pasifika community in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s important to make sure that stories from across Oceania are programmed and that we honor the contributions and presence of these communities. Plus, there’s such a wide array of talent and stories coming from all around the Pacific, these submissions are so so good!
We have a curated shorts package each year at SIFF. Last year, the focus was on poetic storytelling and the connection of language to body and Earth. This year, the theme uplifts shorts coming from northern territories and the balance of the light and dark as both necessary elements in our human journey. This year’s shorts range from documentary to experimental to narrative to animation. By the way, there is an incredible wealth of talented Indigenous animators making waves on the global film scene, so we usually interweave these stories in every year.
Each year, we are excited to present films by emerging and new artists. Last year, we presented Standing Above the Clouds (Jalena Keane-Lee, 2024) to packed houses, and the film is still doing incredibly well with a very far-reaching and sophisticated audience and impact outreach plan. We also presented Moloka’i Bound, the first feature film by Alika Maikau. His lead actor garnered an audience favorite nod at SIFF. Again, the audience excitement and support for both of these features was just incredible, and their responses remind me of the healing and often profound nature of gathering together in person at film festivals.
We’ve programmed many 4th World Media Lab alumni films over the years, too. This full-circle experience for the fellows helps to build community, awareness and exhibition space for their stories. Many people refer to SIFF as a formative festival in understanding how these film festival experiences work. It’s also incredible to program more local Indigenous-made stories like Dear Aloha, Pow!, and West Shore, which are all playing this year.
Mehdi Balamissa: Do you take specific steps to contextualize the films for your audiences—for instance, through introductions or accompanying materials?
Tracy Rector: In regard to contextualizing, we often pair cultural protocols with the opening of certain films. SIFF will ensure longer Q&A sessions for some of the screenings. We also program panels, receptions, art interventions, and other activities. This year, we will have a screen-printing activity in honor of the film Tiger and book signing with Olympian Gold Medalist Billy Mills to go along with Remaining Native by Paige Bethmann. We are also bringing a film screening program of Remaining Native and POW! to the Tulalip Tribes at their Hibulb Cultural Center, this year.This is part of the work, over the years we have made efforts to screen in tribal communities, at drive ins near tribes and at Indigenous-led cultural spaces as a way to provide access to those who may not be able to make it into Seattle for the festival.
Mehdi Balamissa: How well does the Seattle International Film Festival serve as a good home for the cINeDIGENOUS Programme?
Tracy Rector: SIFF has been a fantastic partner in ensuring and helping to create space for Indigenous-made films and filmmakers. They are inclusive, take their work as cultural and social allies seriously, and are key in doing outreach and awareness-building for these beautiful stories. I think it’s incredibly unique that they have been open to this collaboration for 20 years now.
After SIFF, the 4th World Media Lab cohort heads to Maine for the Camden International Film Festival in September. They have also been wonderful colleagues in building more opportunities for underrepresented storytellers as well as the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana.
Mehdi Balamissa: Could you share a few Indigenous-made films you’ve been especially proud to present in recent years?
Some of the most memorable Indigenous-made films that we have presented at SIFF in recent years include: Bring Them Home (United States, 2024), Sugarcane (Canada, 2024), Milisuthando (South Africa, 2023), Mom (Mexico, 2023), Gaga (Taiwan, 2023), The Territory (Brazil, 2022), and Long Line of Ladies (United States, 2022), Edge of the Knife (Canada, 2019), Sami Blood (Sápmi, 2016), Boy (Aotearoa/New Zealand, 2010) and this year we are so incredibly excited to screen Tinā (Aotearoa/New Zealand, 2025),
Over the 20 years that I’ve been part of SIFF, some of the most memorable audience experiences have been at the screenings of Indigenous-made films. There has been such a palpable joy and delight in sharing in an atmosphere of community joy and creativity. These films are more than a time to consume content but more of an opportunity to embrace solidarity, connection and authentic fresh cinematic perspectives.
Mehdi Balamissa: Over the past decade, have you noticed any shifts or progress in how Indigenous cinema is supported globally?
Tracy Rector: Over the past decade, both Sámi and Greenlandic films have been sharing some fantastic and truly original work. There’s often a ton of great films and media coming out of Canada, Mexico, Peru, and Aotearoa. And I’m starting to see more and more from Africa and South America. There are some incredible screening initiatives happening across the Amazon forest, including a traveling festival by canoe.
There are also some incredible Indigenous-led film funding initiatives that are growing in scale and influence including the Indigenous Screen Office in Canada, ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival, the global collective Indigenous Cinema Alliance, and in the northern hemisphere the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund and the International Sámi Film Institute. These are powerful funding and support groups but there also needs to be much more funding from across the sector to center narrative sovereignty and to uplift Indigenous-made films and stories from the Global South.
Every year, we bring some of the 4th World Media Lab fellows to the EFM and Berlinale to learn about international distribution and co-production, and in those Eurocentric gatherings and meetings, it is very clear that more advocacy and cultural training need to occur. We have often found ourselves addressing outdated stereotypes and assumptions in some of those high-level film sector events. We strive to build bridges, but also to support the fellows we work with to unapologetically make exactly the story that they want to tell and share with the world.
Mehdi Balamissa: To finish, what are the main challenges facing Indigenous-made cinema in 2025?
Tracy Rector: The main challenges facing Indigenous made cinema in the United States and globally are funding, access to exhibition spaces, distribution support and the ability to ensure that these filmmakers hold their IP and autonomy. Unfortunately, a lot of funders still give money to western male, outsider-made, non-Indigenous film productions with “Indigenous themes and content”—but without being held accountable to community protocols or benefit. Narrative sovereignty is essential in any community driven film and storytelling!
The 51st Seattle International Film Festival will be running in person on May 15-25, 2025.
Acknowledgements: Tracy Rector, Ry Levey.
