{"id":1186124,"date":"2026-01-14T10:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/?p=1186124"},"modified":"2026-01-14T18:09:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T02:09:44","slug":"nfmla-indigenous-cinema-program-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/nfmla-indigenous-cinema-program-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mom’s Search, a Teenager Who Can’t Sing and a Curious One-Night Stand Are Among Highlights of NFMLA’s Indigenous Cinema Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

A single mom’s exploration of the supernatural underworld, a teenager who longs to sing, and a complicated one-night stand were among the subjects as NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) hosted its November Monthly Film Festival, which featured its annual InFocus: Indigenous Cinema <\/em>program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program highlighted the work of indigenous filmmakers in front of and behind the camera, <\/em>the Los Angeles Premiere of Shakti, <\/em>\u00a0writer-director Nani Sahra Walker\u2019s narrative debut feature, and November Shorts<\/em>, an offering of highlights from NFMLA\u2019s ongoing general program. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The line-up began with November Shorts, an eclectic mix of short narratives that offered satire, laughter, food for thought and connection. The block offered stories about cults, AI, housing, first periods and friendships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day\u2019s programming continued with InFocus: Indigenous Cinema, a selection of short films by indigenous storytellers from around the world. The block offered stories about the preservation of indigenous traditions, the intentional cultivation of the next generation, sitting with grief, channeling anger and navigating a life between two cultures.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening concluded with the Los Angeles Premiere of Shakti,<\/em> the narrative directorial debut of Academy Award\u2013winning executive producer and independent writer, director, and producer Nani Sahra Walker. Set in her native Kathmandu, Shakti<\/em> intimately captured the journey of a mother seeking healing for her daughter for an unknown ailment, facing her own vulnerability and finding her strength in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year, across both our general and InFocus programming. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the schedule for InFocus programming, which celebrates representation by spotlighting various communities of filmmakers as part of the NFMLA Monthly Film Festival. This project is made possible in part by grant support from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is more information about the films and filmmakers, provided by NFMLA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cColor Theories\u201d directed by Devin Jane Febbroriello<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Devin: <\/strong>Devin Jane Febbroriello was named one of the Top 25 screenwriters to watch in 2025 by the International Screenwriters Association and invited onto the ISA 2025 Development Slate. She has written\/directed and produced award-winning music videos and short films that have screened at SXSW, Dances With Films, Pitchfork, Cinequest, Filmfort, BUFF Malmo, Nashville Film Festival, Venice VR Expanded, Portland Film Festival, Bend Film Festival, Stereogum, Rolling Stone, Tacoma Film Festival and more. Her pilot script for the episodic series “Blood is Thicker”” was a finalist in Screencraft TV Pilot Script Competition, and her feature script “”Kathleen’s Sound Bath”” was an Austin Film Festival 2024 Second Rounder, a Script Lab Semi-Finalist, and a Finalist for the ISA Fast Track Fellowship 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She received her Bachelor of Art in film from Emerson College, attended specialized cinema studies at FAMU (Czech Republic), and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting through the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts at Maharishi University. Throughout her career Devin has maintained strong involvement in media activism and has developed a variety of diversity and inclusion programs, raised over $300,000 in grants for her efforts, and co-owns a production company and studio collective called Desert Island Studios focused on uplifting and mentoring up and coming filmmakers from diverse backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About \u201cColor Theories\u201d: <\/strong>“Color Theories” is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story that follows 13-year-old Charlotte, adrift in processing the complexities of her mother’s stroke while navigating her changing body and perspective the summer she gets her first period, through a symbolic exploration of the visible light spectrum ROY G BIV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the NFMLA interview with Devin Jane Febbroriello, the director of \u201cColor Theories\u201d: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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