Program Overview

“Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI) has been dedicated with a strong commitment to documentary storytelling, since 1995. Documentary filmmaking is a global art form with an emphasis on a critical cultural outlook as we all move forward with the new way in which our entertainment industry is going. Back then when we first launched the RNCI documentary film program – Unscripted Lab, documentaries weren’t a thing, as they are today. Real authentic stories from the perspective of Native and Indigenous voices is what our unscripted lab is all about. Due to the recent movements of Black Lives Matter and Standing Rock, we have a chance for our untapped stories to be seen.”  stated Joanelle Romero, “Being the first Native Indigenous woman filmmaker to be invited to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts Sciences and the first Native Indigenous Filmmaker to be short-listed for an Academy Award for my documentary American Holcoaust: When Its All Over I’ll Still be Indian, I know I will not be the last, here at Red Nation Celebration Institute we leave the ladder down.”

RNCI Unscripted Lab is for early- to mid-career Native and Indigenous nonfiction storytellers, editors, directors and writers. It is held during the Red Nation International Film Festival (worldwide) as a week-long virtual creative space that provides access to creative executives, experienced producers and veteran documentary filmmakers. Filmmakers work intensively with advisors and staff in a spirit of experimentation in a supportive environment to advance the project. Following the Lab the documentary fellows will have the opportunity to screen their ‘work-in-process’ to pitch to an audience of documentary funders and the general audience.

Program re-opens summer 2024