There are several Indigenous writers, directors, and actors making narrative-rich movies. Although indigenous voices are still in the minority, many TV shows and movies depict their history, culture, and personal experiences.

Representation matters, and creators must be able to tell their own stories. These movies and TV shows can help undo harmful stereotypes and help underrepresented communities feel seen.

1. Drunktown’s Finest (2014)

Sydney Freeland’s (Laney Robs a Bank, Hoverboard) first feature portrays an inclusive vision of all genders living and loving together. Set in a Navajo reservation once dubbed “Drunktown USA,” this coming-of-age drama intersects three different stories of growing up in a “place to leave.”

The film stars model and artist Felixia, recognized as part of the long tradition of the Navajo third gender. Sick Boy. a troubled boy about to become a father, and Nizhoni, longing to reconnect with her roots after a White Christian upbringing, also feature in the film. Drunktown’s Finest is an uplifting movie about growing up and overcoming the struggles of poverty, alcoholism, and crime.

2. Land (2018)

Land confronts the classic American narrative of dying for your country and how it feels when your country has marginalized your community. When the youngest member of the Denetclaw family dies in action, his family must fight for the repatriation of his body.

Iranian-born director and writer Babak Jalali uses one family’s grief to illustrate the struggles of countless Native Americans. Although the measured story-telling focuses on the indigenous communities of North America, this tale will touch anyone from a marginalized group who doesn't feel listened to by their government.

3. Samson & Delilah (2009)

Written and directed by Warwick Thornton (Sweet Country), the award-winning Samson & Delilah charts the relationship between two impoverished people living in an Australian Indigenous community in Alice Springs. The film won the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and is still considered one of the most iconic Australian movies.

Addicted to sniffing petrol, Samson and his girlfriend Delilah steal a car and escape to the big city after a tragedy hits their family. Samson & Delilah is a tender love story that never shies away from representing the hard-hitting poverty in Australia.

4. Reservation Dogs (2021-2023) 

Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs is a coming-of-age television show about four Indigenous teenagers bored in rural Oklahoma. This Hulu show balances a depiction of teenage grief with the irrelevant comedy of growing up in the outskirts.

The characters are so nuanced and studied that it almost feels like watching a documentary with events unfolding. A comedy by genre, this show is never scared to illustrate the real issues facing the native youth. Inspired by Harjo’s childhood, Reservation Dogs is a nuanced example of the realities of growing up on “the rez.”

5. Dark Winds (2022- Present) 

Dark Winds is a psychological thriller television series based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman. Dark Winds follows a Navajo detective in the early 1970s on a double homicide case. Earning comparisons to True Detective, Dark Winds delivers an inclusive take on the classic detective story, thanks to the all-Native American writer's room.

Far more than a police procedural, the neo-western tackles topics like the forced sterilization of Indigenous women, the Vietnam War, and government restrictions. Dark Winds returns for a third season next year on the AMC.

6. Four Sheets To The Wind (2007) 

The feature film debut of Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo, Four Sheets to the Wind, follows a young Indigenous American who leaves his reservation home after her father’s suicide. This film explores the stereotypes and expectations placed on Indigenous Americans without forgetting the lighter side of life.

Four Sheets To The Wind is an emotional roller coaster about a young man trying to tackle the fear of exploring the world head-on. Although this narrative is specific to Indigenous Americans, it’s a universal fish out of water story.

7. The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open (2019)

After a random encounter on the street, a woman encourages a pregnant domestic abuse victim to seek help. Filmed in almost one continuous long take, this Canadian drama deals with two completely different women from different classes coming together to cope with violence.

Distributed by Ava DuVernay’s Array, The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open’s real-time feel adds a sense of urgency to the narrative. This feminist thriller, directed by Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, is one of the most genuine socio-realist movies released in the last decade.

8. Fukry (2019)

Fukry took Navajo director Blackhorse Lowe nearly eight years to make and centers around a group of friends and their love life. Ching Yazzie and friends tackle the ups and downs of love, all against a backdrop of an eclectic community of artists.

Originally intended as a light-hearted comedy, the Albuquerque set movie became a methodical musing. This low-stake dramedy purposefully lacks the politics of other entries on this list, choosing to depict day-to-day dramas and quiet conversations instead.

9. On The Ice (2011)

Filmed in the writer and director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean’s Alaskan hometown, On The Ice follows two Iñupiaq teenagers on a seal hunt, which ends in tragedy. In the aftermath, the pair must keep up a lie and live with the guilt.

Based on a short film that MacLean directed in 2008, On the Ice delivers Hollywood ideas on an indie budget. The movie skips all the cliches of snow dogs and igloos in favor of snowmobiles and a hip-hop soundtrack.

10. Smoke Signals (1998)

Smoke Signals is recognized as one of the first movies directed, written, and produced by Indigenous filmmakers to reach worldwide success. It’s considered such an important movie the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the United States Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Smoke Signals follows two Native American men, an eccentric storyteller, and a hot-tempered basketball player, traveling from their Idaho reservation to Arizona. The pair are looking to retrieve the ashes of Victor’s estranged father, confronting his relationship with him and the man’s alcoholism. 

11. Night Raiders (2021)

Night Raiders tells the story of a woman joining a resistance movement to fight against the military government and save her daughter. The female-driven tale, set in 2043, tackles the racial tensions and disenfranchisement of indigenous communities through the depictions of this military-based culture.

Directed by Cree-Métis filmmaker Danis Goulet and produced by Taika Waititi, this Canadian-New Zealand science fiction dystopian acts as an allegory for both the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and the Indian residential school system. Although it tackles serious topics, it’s an incredibly entertaining dystopian movie inspired by Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men.

12. Redfern Now (2012-2015)

Redfern Now compassionately showcases the injustices and consequences of the Indigenous people living in urban Australia. First airing in 2012, Redfern Now depicts the realities of a suburb of Sydney.

Despite the sometimes-soapy plotlines, Redfern Now (missing children, domestic violence, car accidents) stands out for solely focusing on Aboriginal suburban stories.

13. Mekko (2015)

The third feature film from Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), Mekko is inspired by Werner Herzog's Stroszek. The thriller centers around a Native American man named Mekko adjusting to life outside of prison. Using real locations, the film depicts the realities of homelessness and feeling disconnected from your community.

Mekko infuses urban realism with Native American mysticism to create a haunting movie about a man confronting his choices. Rod Rondeaux, a former rodeo rider and longtime Hollywood stunt performer, delivers a star-making performance in his first feature lead.

14. Blood Quantum (2019)

The zombie movie has been a channel for social commentary since George Romero made his Living Dead series. Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum does no different, using a zombie outbreak to showcase the fractious relationship between the First Nations people and white Americans.

In Blood Quantum, a First Nations reservation withstands a zombie outbreak while the rest of Canada battles the undead. By reversing their roles, this intelligent horror comments on colonialism and a celebration of Indigenous heritage.

15. Waikiki (2020)

Considered the first feature film written and directed by a Native Hawaiian, Waikiki explores the real Hawaii behind the tourist façade. Chris Kahunahana’s directorial debut is a gripping tale of an unexplored voice in America.

Waikiki centers on teacher and hula dancer Kea, whose life spirals after her van hits a homeless man. Despite the tiny budget, Waikiki delves into surrealism and takes the audience into human nature.