The Creative Enterprise by Natives Delivering to All People the Stories that Shape our World.
The longest-standing Native women-led Indigenous media, arts, and cultural nonprofit enterprise in the history of the entertainment industry.
Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Red Nation Celebration Institute during the world’s largest Indigenous art market, SWAIA Indian Market, the place where RNCI’s journey first began.
August 2026 commemorates three decades of visionary leadership, Indigenous storytelling, cultural advocacy, and a legacy of transforming representation across film, television, media, music, and the arts.
Honoring 30 years of Indigenous storytelling sovereignty, RNCI celebrates the artists, filmmakers, storytellers, partners, and communities who have helped shape a future where Native and Indigenous voices are authentically represented, recognized, and valued.
Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI) was founded by Joanelle Romero, born of Apache descent and Spanish-Sephardic lineage, and a proud 15th-generation New Mexican. RNCI emerged from a direct and urgent need to create authentic platforms for Native and Indigenous voices within the arts, entertainment, and media industries.
We honor RNCI’s legacy and the visionaries, artists, storytellers, and changemakers who helped redefine Native and Indigenous representation over the past three decades.
The largest curated showcase of Native and Indigenous films streaming now on Red Nation Television Network.
Join us as we honor the past, celebrate the present, and help shape the future of Native and Indigenous storytelling.
Honoring 30 Years of Indigenous Storytelling – Preserving, Celebrating, and Amplifying Native & Indigenous Cinema
Now Streaming on Red Nation Television Network as RNCI Celebrates Three Decades of Legacy, Leadership, and Storytelling Sovereignty
Breaking barriers of racism by creating systemic change through the arts, media and pop culture in order to eliminate Native American stereotypes. Our vision for the future of cinema is one in which Native Indigenous perspectives are authentically pictured, recognized, and valued in a way that promotes strong authentic Native identities, economic outcomes, equity, and wellness for our Indigenous communities.
Born of Apache descent and Spanish-Sephardic lineage, with family ties to the Pawnee, Pojoaque, Diné, Paiute, Southern Ute, Haudenosaunee, Mescalero Apache, Jicarilla Apache, and Lakota Nations, her father was born on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, and my maternal great-grandmother was born on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. These ancestral connections have shaped my identity and grounded my lifelong commitment to honoring and preserving our stories.
A 15th-generation New Mexican, Joanelle was born in Albuquerque, the eldest of three children to Rita Rogers and Robert Romero. Her family’s legacy in both politics and the entertainment industry is historic and respected. In the political realm, Joanelle’s uncle, Congressman Edward R. Roybal, was one of the most distinguished public servants of his time. In 1949, he became the first Native Indigenous person to serve on the Los Angeles City Council since 1881 and went on to become one of the highest-ranking Indigenous leaders in California municipal government.
For generations, her family has owned land along the Pecos River—ancestral land dating back to the 1600s. Her great-great-great-grandfather, Antonio Roybal, built the historic San Antonio de Padua Church in Pecos. A relative of hers is honored in etched glass on the front doors of The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe.
Joanelle was raised in the entertainment industry, beginning at age three when she acted alongside her mother and grandfather in stage productions in New Mexico. In the 1960s, her mother, Rita Rogers, was signed with Universal Studios and appeared in nine Elvis Presley films. By age nine, Joanelle often accompanied her mother to the MGM lot, where she spent time on set with Elvis Presley and Nancy Sinatra—experiences that sparked her lifelong love of filmmaking.
At age 12, actor Dennis Hopper became her legal guardian so she could live at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico, then owned by Hopper, and she continued to live with him through her teenage years. In her early twenties, Joanelle began a relationship with poet and musician Leonard Cohen. The two lived together, and Cohen went on to produce Joanelle’s first recordings at A&M Records, making her the first artist he ever produced. Joanelle is the mother of two adult children—one a graduate of Yale University and the other of Berklee College of Music—and four grandchildren.
With a career spanning over four decades, Joanelle has been a trailblazer in amplifying Native and Indigenous voices in film and media. Her film credits include Powwow Highway, The Girl Called Hatter Fox, and the acclaimed documentary American Holocaust: When It’s All Over I’ll Still Be Indian, which was short-listed for an Academy Award. All were filmed in her home state of New Mexico. Joanelle Romero’s legacy is one of resilience, creativity, and unwavering advocacy for Native and Indigenous communities across the United States and beyond.
Born Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache and Spanish-Sephardic lineal descendant, she holds familial ties to the Pawnee, Pojoaque, Diné, Paiute, Southern Ute, Haudenosaunee. Her father was born on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, and her maternal great-grandmother was born on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, grounding her life’s work in a deep intergenerational connection to Indigenous community, culture, ancestry, and ancestral lands.
A 15th-generation New Mexican, Joanelle was born in Albuquerque, the eldest of three children to Rita Rogers and Robert Romero. Her family’s legacy in both politics and the entertainment industry is historic and respected. In the political realm, Joanelle’s uncle, Congressman Edward R. Roybal, was one of the most distinguished public servants of his time. In 1949, he became the first Native Indigenous person to serve on the Los Angeles City Council since 1881 and went on to become one of the highest-ranking Indigenous leaders in California municipal government.
Joanelle was raised in the entertainment industry, beginning at age three when she acted alongside her mother and grandfather in stage productions in New Mexico. In the 1960s, her mother, Rita Rogers, was signed with Universal Studios and appeared in nine Elvis Presley films. By age nine, Joanelle often accompanied her mother to the MGM lot, where she spent time on set with Elvis Presley and Nancy Sinatra experiences that sparked her lifelong love of filmmaking.
From the ages of 12 to 17, Joanelle lived at the historic Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico, then owned by Hopper. This formative period deeply influenced her connection to art, culture, creativity, and the powerful storytelling traditions that would shape her life’s work. Her memoir, documenting her extraordinary journey, is scheduled for release in 2027. In her early twenties, Joanelle began a relationship with renowned poet and musician Leonard Cohen. The two lived together, and Cohen later produced Joanelle’s first recordings at A&M Records, making her the first recording artist he produced.
Joanelle is the proud mother of two adult children – one a graduate of Yale University and the other a graduate of Berklee College of Music – and the grandmother of four grandchildren.
With a career spanning 49 years, Joanelle Romero has been a pioneering force in the entertainment industry, championing Native and Indigenous voices across film, television, media, and the arts. A visionary filmmaker, actress, producer, writer, recording artist, and humanitarian, she has dedicated her career to advancing authentic representation, creating opportunities for Indigenous storytellers, and transforming the cultural landscape through the power of storytelling.
Her film credits include Powwow Highway, The Girl Called Hatter Fox, and the acclaimed documentary American Holocaust: When It’s All Over I’ll Still Be Indian, which was short-listed for an Academy Award. All were filmed in her home state of New Mexico. Joanelle Romero’s legacy is one of resilience, creativity, and unwavering advocacy for Native and Indigenous communities across the United States and beyond.
Elevating Native and Indigenous Voices Through Storytelling
Red Nation International Film Festival (RNIFF) is the largest Native & Indigenous Film Festival in the U.S. and worldwide!
The first of its kind in Los Angeles.