DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

Tsanavi is a Northern Arapaho and Northern Paiute director, producer and writer. She holds a Master of Journalism degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a documentary film concentration. Her films have screened on Alaska Airlines, at the National Museum of the American Indian, The Redford Center, art museums and PBS affiliates— along with educational distribution from GoodDocs. Tsanavi has been supported by esteemed institutions such as ITVS, SFFILM, IDA, Chicken & Egg Pictures and Firelight Media. She is an alumna of prestigious organizations like NDN Collective, Sundance Institute, the EFM’s Toolbox Programme and Open Society Foundations.

PRODUCER

Cristina is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker. In 2025, she directed SALLY, which premiered at Sundance and is now streaming on HULU, and Netflix’s KAROL G: TOMORROW WAS BEAUTIFUL. In 2022, she and her husband Alfie Koetter, created The New Yorker’s animated short film, THE ORIGINALS. Previously, she directed the Netflix documentary MUCHO MUCHO AMOR, an official 2020 Sundance selection. She also directed the 2018 Sundance Festival Favorite SCIENCE FAIR. The Wisconsin native is a Yale grad who now lives in California and serves as an EP of HBOMax's MENUDO:FOREVER YOUNG and is a partner at Muck Media.

PRODUCER & EDITOR

Michaelle is a documentary film editor with over 16 years of experience collaborating with influential filmmakers such as Vivien Hillgrove, Marc Smolowitz, and Jacqueline Olive. Her work has screened all over the world including, SXSW, PBS, MTV and Disney+. Throughout her career she has been selected for programs such as the Sundance Art of Editing Fellowship, the Karen Schmeer Editing Fellowship and the Sundance Documentary Edit Lab. In addition to her extensive career as an editor, Michaelle has also worked as producer on several feature documentaries to bring those films to completion.

STORY CONSULTANT

Jenni is an investigative journalist, media critic and a tribal citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna. Her work has been published in The LA Times, The Guardian, the Center for Investigative Reporting and PBS NewsHour. She has been a commentator on MSNBC, NPR and Democracy Now!. She authors the award-winning newsletter, Indigenously. Previously, she served as a TV newscaster and reporter for CBS. She's hosted and reported for National Native News, as well as worked in documentary filmmaking. She holds an MA in International Politics, specializing in Indigenous Human Rights Policy from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

CONSULTING PRODUCER

Cassandra is an award winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. Her films have been nominated for three national Emmy awards and have screened at numerous film festivals, including SXSW and Sundance. She directed and produced the Emmy-nominated documentary TULIA, TEXAS, co produced with ITVS and broadcast on PBS’ Independent Lens. Some of the issues her work has explored include the legacy of Native American child welfare policies, and the interplay between music and politics. Cassandra teaches visual journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, where she received her master's degree.

HUMANITIES ADVISOR

Dr. Azocar is a citizen of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe and a Professor of Journalism at San Francisco State University. She serves as the faculty advisor to SKINS (Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations). Dr. Azocar served as a past president of the Native American Journalists Association, directed the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism, was a former editor of American Indian Issues for the Media Diversity Forum, and was an inaugural board member of the Women’s Media Center. She is the author of News Media and the Indigenous Fight for Federal Recognition, and is currently working on a new book, Decolonizing Media Research.