22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema

Indigenous people have been telling stories for centuries longer than the film industry has existed. Yet historically, Hollywood has ignored them. Throughout the 20th century, American movies largely portrayed indigenous people in limited, often non-speaking roles, and mostly confined them to narratives about the 19th century period of frontier expansion. In 1998, Smoke Signals—the first film with a national theatrical release written, directed, co-produced, and acted by Native Americans—inspired a wave of indigenous filmmakers to produce films about their communities set in the present day. About 25 years later, more indigenous filmmakers than ever before are getting the greenlight to make TV shows and movies.

Source: 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema | TIME