For generations, Indigenous stories were told from the outside—shaped by voices that didn’t live them, and too often reduced to stereotypes. But that tide is turning. Today, Native filmmakers are reclaiming the lens, using documentary film to challenge old narratives and tell stories with truth and care. This shift is about more than representation—it’s about ownership, from development to screen to distribution.

In this panel, our storytellers reflect on their journeys and the importance of creating from within, so that when the world sees Indian Country, it sees it through Indigenous eyes.