For more than three decades, the Red Nation International Film Festival (RNIFF) - Where Story Becomes Ceremony and Script Becomes Sovereignty - has been a premier destination for bold, groundbreaking storytelling from established and emerging Native and Indigenous artists. RNIFF 2026 will take place November 9–14, 2026, in Los Angeles, convening global audiences for a powerful celebration of Indigenous cinema.

RNIFF introduces their powerful storytelling to global audiences while championing Native Women in Film & Television and inspiring the next generation through our dedicated film program, Native Indigenous Academy for Cinematic Arts / Native Youth Matter™ – If I Can See It, I Can Be It.™

Each November, RNIFF officially kicks off awards season as the global entertainment community turns its attention to the RNCI Red Nation Awards, broadcast LIVE on the Red Nation Television Network.

This prestigious ceremony honors the highest achievements in American Indian and Indigenous filmmaking - recognizing excellence in directing, writing, performance, producing, and cultural impact. As one of the first major award platforms of the season, the Red Nation Awards set the tone for industry conversations around authorship, representation, and narrative power.

Reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers worldwide, the broadcast amplifies Indigenous storytellers on a global stage, celebrating cinematic achievement while advancing visibility, equity, and sovereign storytelling in the entertainment industry.

Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI) is a nonprofit creative enterprise by Natives delivering to all people the stories that shape our world. Its mission is to break barriers of racism by creating systemic change across film, television, and all media to eliminate American Indian stereotypes. RNCI envisions a future in which Native and Indigenous perspectives are authentically represented, fully valued, and economically empowered - advancing equity, wellness, and cultural strength.

Founded in 1995 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during Indian Market Week by Joanelle Romero, RNCI has grown into an internationally recognized resource for thousands of artists. Through RNIFF and year-round artistic development programs in film, theatre, and new media, the Institute advances independent Indigenous storytelling worldwide.

From the beginning, our founder has been bold, revolutionary, and unapologetic in bringing Native and Indigenous cinema to the silver screen, amplifying Native and Indigenous filmmakers within the entertainment industry and beyond. RNIFF provides a dedicated platform to experience the richness of Native storytelling, bridging the gap between filmmakers, industry leaders, and audiences worldwide.

KEY DATES:
Festival Runs: November 6-14, 2026 (In Person)
RNCI Red Nation Awards November 15, 2026 (In Person)
Virtual Festival: November 1-30, 2026
Steaming Festival: November 9, 2026 - November 4, 2027

Festival Highlights Include:
Competitive Film Sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, including features and shorts
RNIFF: Native Indigenous Market™
The Pitch is Back (for emerging Native filmmakers)
Retrospectives & Red Nation Conversation Series™
Masterclasses with Industry Experts
RNIFF On the Road™ Tour (Santa Fe, NM; France; Washington, D.C.; New York)

Awards & Prizes

“Hollywood & Indian Country’s Biggest Night for American Indian & Indigenous Voices™ Cementing American Indian at the forefront of the Entertainment Industry™”

RNCI RED NATION AWARDS. November 15, 2026.

2026 will be the thirteen consecutive year of streaming a LIVE broadcast of RNCI Red Nation Awards on Red Nation Television Network including a televised broadcast.

Recognizing excellence in cinematic achievements by American Indian & Indigenous filmmakers. Highlighting the very best contributions in film, television, comedy, music and the arts.

BEST FILM
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST ACTOR IN LEADING ROLE
BEST ACTRESS IN LEADING ROLE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST EDITING
BEST ACTRESS IN SUPPORTING ROLE TV MOVIE, MINISERIES, SPECIAL, COMEDY
BEST ACTOR IN SUPPORTING ROLE TV MOVIE, MINISERIES, SPECIAL, COMEDY
BEST CASTING

THE CHIEF DAN GEORGE AWARD
THE MARLON BRANDO AWARD
THE EDWARD R ROYBAL AWARD
THE EDWARD ALBERT JR AWARD
THE MISTY UPHAM AWARD
THE COURAGE AWARD
THE AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH AWARD
THE JOANELLE ROMERO GLOBAL IMPACT AWARD
THE RNCI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
THE FILM CONSULTANT AWARD

Since 1995, the RNCI Red Nation Awards has honored outstanding artistic achievements in television, film, comedy, music and the arts. The show is an integral part of RNCI’s mission and is held on the last day closing the Red Nation International Film Festival. RNCI’s mission is to create greater opportunities for American Indian & Indigenous families in the United States. As a national television special with a cause, the RNCI Red Nation Awards demonstrates how inclusion strengthens the entertainment industry and diversity strengthens our country by promoting fair, accurate, and representative portrayals of American Indian & Indigenous image.

This November will be yet another year of a “LIVE” broadcast of RNCI Red Nation Awards, held in the Entertainment Capital of the World, marking yet another historic phenomenon, cementing native image at the forefront of the industry, highlighting the very best American Indian & Indigenous contributions to film, television, comedy, music and the arts.

Each November, in celebration of American Indian Heritage Month, the entertainment community and film fans around the world turn their attention to RNCI Red Nation Awards. Interest and anticipation builds as we lead up to the RNCI Red Nation Awards LIVE telecast on Red Nation Television Network, when hundreds of movie lovers tune in to watch the glamorous ceremony and learn who will receive the highest honors in native filmmaking.

RNCI Red Nation Awards are the Oscars blended with Emmys, the highest film awards in Los Angeles for American Indian & Indigenous Cinema

“Hollywood has Oscar, Broadway has Tony, Television has the Emmy, and now American Indian has the Red Nation Film Award of Excellence” And the Winner is …

About Red Nation Film Award of Excellence

Red Nation International Film Festival & Awards Show honors accomplishments of Independent Motion Pictures and Documentaries, which are produced, directed, written, and starring American Indians. Honorees include individuals who have made advancements in film, radio, television, media, environment, social justice, human rights, career accomplishments in the arts, volunteerism, and cultural affairs.

Red Nation Film Festival & Awards buzz has began! The Red is Green Carpet will be rolled for A-Listers, Native Celebrities for the world to see!

RNIFF attracts exceptional work from filmmakers of all levels of experience - from talented first-timers to industry heavyweights like Benito Del Toro, Edward James Olmos, Graham Greene and Summit Entertainment.

THE BUZZ HAS BEGAN! The Red is Green Carpet will be rolled for A-Listers, Native Celebrities, this November. Filmmakers know creating publicity is incredibly valuable for their projects and future endeavors.

BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING:

PROMOTIONAL LAURELS
PEER REVIEW – our judges are award-winning filmmakers and professionals from within the Entertainment Industry and native communities.
IMDB - Red Nation International Film Festival is IMDB approved and can be listed on your IMDB page!
PUBLICITY ENHANCEMENT – Winners are announced to a database of 50,000+ email
industry professionals as well as additional international media outlets.
SOCIAL MEDIA PUSH – Facebook and Instagram announcements of winners and updates from our filmmaking community can be shared with your own lists.

Rules & Terms

RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR 2026 SUBMISSIONS

The following is an explanation of the Rules and Guidelines governing the submissions of a film to the 2026 Red Nation International Film Festival. Compliance with these Rules and Guidelines is necessary in order to participate in the Film Festival. Submission of a film implies unconditional acceptance of the Rules & Guidelines, therefore, please carefully read through the Rules prior to submitting your film. If you have any questions, please contact the Red Nation International Film Festival: submissions@rednation.com or 818.665.5753.

** RNIFF accepts films that are made of/about North American Indian, First Nation Peoples of Canada, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and International Indigenous Peoples from Mexico, South America, New Zealand.

** Films must have been made between August 2025 - September 2026 to be considered.

** Filmmakers once you submit to Red Nation International Film Festival, you agree not to submit/screen your film in any other native film festival in local areas of Los Angeles, Hollywood, or Temecula, during the month of November. Please call if you have any questions: 818.665.5753.

** NOTE: All doc and live action shorts must now be 5 mins to 40 minutes in length to be eligible!

1. The Red Nation International Film Festival accepts submissions for films in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short (40 minutes), Animated (40 minutes), Doc Shorts (40 minutes), International Indigenous Narrative Features, Music Videos.

2. The Entrant/s submitting the film must hold all legal rights for the submission, as well as all necessary clearances for public exhibition.

3. The Filmmaker/s retain/s all submission and intellectual property rights.

4. Films may be submitted electronically via FilmFreeway (filmfreeway.com) OR Vimeo with the completed submission form and correct entry fee.

5. The electronic submissions should be formatted for NTSC and labelled with Title, Running Time.

6. To submit film via FilmFreeway.com: Log onto the website, set up an account, and submit your film to RNIFF. Your fee will also be taken over the internet. After submitting your film through FFW.

7. The Filmmaker/s is/are responsible for making sure all submission material are submitted by the submission deadline indicated. If your film does not arrive or is not uploaded by the deadline for which you have registered, you may be required to pay the higher submission fee or withdrawn.

8. The following concerns submission deadlines and submission fees. Note, the deadlines are not the postmark dates, but the dates by which the submission must be in the RNIFF office or registered with FilmFreeway. Each submission must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. Submission fees are in are U.S. Dollars per submission and is non-refundable. These fees may be paid by check, cashier’s check, money order, made payable to: Red Nation Celebration Institute. Cash is not accepted.

9. If a film received 50% or more of it’s funding from sources outside of the United States, the film can only be submitted as an International Film. If a film received 50% or more of it’s funding from sources within the United States, the film can only be submitted as a Domestic Film.

10. All films must be in English or with English subtitles. Non-English language films without subtitles will be considered under special circumstance.

11. Please test your media prior to submission to make sure they run properly and are not damaged.

12. The RNIFF is not responsible for any damage to materials that occurred while in transit. If your film arrives damaged, we will contact you to request another copy.

13. Filmmakers are allowed to submit more than one film for the Festival provided that each film is submitted separately and meet RNFF guidelines.

14. Filmmakers are allowed to resubmit a film that was previously submitted provided significant changes were made and all eligibility requirements are met. When re-submitting the film, include a brief letter detailing the changes made.

15. Entrants may contact the RNIFF to find out if the Festival received the submission: rncimedia@gmail.com or (818) 665.5753. Filmmakers submitting through FilmFreeway can check their status through the website.

16. The Filmmaker is responsible for all shipping costs, domestic or international.

17. All personal contact information is to remain confidential and not to be shared with any third parties.

18. RNIFF reserves the right to use images from films selected in the Festival for marketing purposes.

19. All decisions regarding award winners are considered final and incontestable.

20. Los Angeles Premiere is not required but the programing team may consider a films local premiere status when making final decisions.
41 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Guy Morgan

    The red nation, international film festival festival is essentially a space for indigenous voices stories and lived experiences. The program is thoughtful, powerful and grounding and respect for community culture, and true rather than spectacle.
    What stood out the most was a range of strength and storytelling a cross post narrative and documentary films. The festival created a room for intimate, personal story telling bold creativity, vision, and culturally, rooted narratives that rarely find space in mainstream festivals, whether fiction or nonfiction the films are unified by authentic care and a deep connection to the Land identity and history.
    Red nation is more than a film festival. It's a platform for voices that too often minimized or ignored. I was honored to be part of it and would strongly encourage filmmakers and audience like to support and engage engaged with this important festival.
    Director guy Morgan
    Documentary film
    if the silence could be broken
    .

    December 2025
    Helpful
  • Jeromy Desjarlais

    We were so happy that our film was included in this year's lineup thank you for screening our work. Unfortunately we never got a link to watch it or it wasn't screened in person so we didn't get to participate this year maybe next year.

    December 2025
    Helpful
  • Matt Remle

    This is our second time at the RNCI festival and we absolutely love it! Great communication, great venue, wonderful staff.

    December 2025
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  • Clément Lagouarde

    The RNCI gave me the incredible opportunity to showcase my work as a Natchitoches actor and director born in France. Above all, I was able to meet and discover incredible talents who are now friends. Thank you RNCI for welcoming me to your table! Such a great festival.

    February 2025
    Helpful
  • Johannes Grenzfurthner

    Had an amazing time in LA for the Hacking at Leaves screening! The festival was incredibly well-organized and full of energy. Loved connecting with talented filmmakers and passionate audiences.
    The awards show was a fantastic celebration of creativity.

    December 2024
    Helpful