Cherokee Nation To Open Cherokee Film Institute, The Country’s 1st Tribally Operated Film School

Source: Cherokee Film Institute / Cherokee Film Institute

W e all know that the American entertainment industry has never historically been an institution that freely provided opportunities for non-white creatives. For the most part, we have to create our own platforms and wait for the rest of the industry to catch up and acknowledge the value Black people and people of color bring to the world of art and entertainment while the white populace takes its virtually limitless representation for granted.

Well, the Cherokee Nation has unveiled plans to create its own space in a film industry that has either treated the Indigenous like they’re invisible or reduced them to stereotypes just as it has with every other racial group that has tried to carve out a space for itself that is typically reserved for whiteness. The Nation is doing so by opening up America’s first tribally operated film education program: The Cherokee Film Institute .

From Variety :

Launched through its filmmaking arm Cherokee Film, CFI is a 120-hour program designed to educate aspiring filmmakers in below-the-line production in hopes of bolstering the entertainment workforce within the Cherokee Nation and across its home state of Oklahoma. Although CFI was primarily created to help Native Americans pursue careers in entertainment, it’s open to any person over 18.

“We continue to illustrate that Native stories are best told by those with authentic perspectives. Empowering a talented Native workforce is essential to ensuring Native Americans are seen, heard and respected within this growing industry,” said Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Cherokee Nation Principal. “This is more than a place of learning; it is a place of empowerment and a solution to a problem. Native misrepresentation stops here.”

Investigative journalist Jennifer Loren is the senior director of Cherokee Film, and she sat down with Variety to discuss the new venture and how her partnership with local native creatives in Oklahoma came to be.

“I was an investigative journalist doing long form, and the Cherokee Nation came, they knew I was a citizen of the tribe, and said, ‘We want to start telling our story ourselves. Can you help us put together some sort of content, produce it, and host it?’” Loren explained. “So of course, I said yes. It was like a dream job opportunity. We created a docuseries called ‘Osiyo: Voices of the Cherokee People,’ which I’m still executive producer and host of. At the same time, Oklahoma had a growing film industry. We wanted to help provide infrastructure, support, and jobs in that industry because it is a great vehicle for telling our stories. Not only Cherokee stories but stories from this region. So we launched the Cherokee Nation Film Office at Sundance in 2019.”

“After we launched the Cherokee Nation Film Office, the demand still kept growing, so eventually we rebranded to Cherokee Film,” she continued. “We have four branches: Cherokee Film Productions, where we produce our own content, Cherokee Film Commission, which has our rebate program and our directories, Cherokee Film Studios, which is our sound stages, and then the Cherokee Film Institute. CFI is that piece you always need to build a film industry, the workforce component. We wanted to create a place where Native Americans had a workforce development entity where they would feel safe and where they would be able to learn how to get their foot in the door to this industry.”

Classes are slated to begin at CSI in January 2025. This is a great look for the Cherokee Nation, Indigenous people across America, and for the world art and entertainment in general. Let’s help Cherokee Film Institute thrive!

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