The Indigenous Cinema Alliance (ICA) has announced its refreshed 2026 membership network, market strategy, and ninth Fellowship cohort as it enters a new phase of global industry engagement supporting Indigenous filmmakers and producers.
2026 Membership Update
The ICA welcomes the Māoriland Film Festival (Ōtaki, Aotearoa New Zealand) back to the Alliance after a six-year absence. A founding member, Māoriland is one of the world’s leading Indigenous film festivals and a central creative hub for Māori and global Indigenous storytellers.
New to the Alliance is Ngā Aho Whakaari / Māori in Screen (Aotearoa New Zealand), the national organisation advocating for Māori practitioners, industry leadership, and screen storytelling.
Returning ICA members include:
- imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (Canada) – continuing as ICA project lead
- International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI) (Sápmi/Norway) – expanding its contribution
- 4th World Media (Turtle Island)
- MULLU (Abya Yala)
- Winda Film Festival (Australia)
- Film.gl (Greenland)
- Pacific Islanders in Communications (Hawai‘i)
2026 Market Strategy & Activities
After marking a decade of activity at the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin in 2025, the ICA will shift its primary 2026 focus to the inaugural TIFF: The Market (10–16 September 2026), the Toronto International Film Festival’s new film, series, and innovation market. This event is set to become a significant global platform for creators and rights-holders across film, television, and immersive media.
Importantly, the ICA will maintain its long-standing relationship with EFM. While TIFF: The Market will serve as the Alliance’s central market activation in 2026, ICA members and Fellows will continue to engage with EFM as part of ongoing co-production, distribution, and sales pathways established over the past decade.
Recognising the demand for short-form opportunities for Indigenous producers, the ICA will also attend the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market (France) for the first time. Clermont-Ferrand is the world’s largest short-film marketplace, hosting 4,000+ accredited professionals from 88+ countries and showcasing 7,500+ recent titles.
2026 Fellowship Cohort
The ICA’s ninth annual Fellowship cohort brings together producers and industry professionals from across its membership. Fellows participate in training, networking, and targeted market programs aligned with their development trajectories.
Confirmed Fellows to date
- Brooke Collard (Ballardong Whadjuk Noongar) (Winda Film Festival)
- Jacqueline Olivé (Tongan) (4th World Media)
- Johannes Vang (Sámi) (ISFI)
- Katsitsionni Fox (Mohawk Nation from Akwesasne) (4th World Media / Indigenous Screen Office)
- Libby Hakaraia (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kapu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) (Māoriland)
- Marc Fussing Rosbach (Inuk) (Film.gl / Arctic Indigenous Film Fund)
- Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neets’aii Gwich’in) (4th World Media / Arctic Indigenous Film Fund)
- Sadetło Scott (Tłı̨chǫ Dene) (imagineNATIVE / Arctic Indigenous Film Fund)
- Sara Beate Eira (Sámi) (ISFI / Arctic Indigenous Film Fund)
Fellows will engage with one or more ICA market programs—Clermont-Ferrand, EFM, or TIFF: The Market—depending on individual project needs and goals. Additional Fellows will be announced ahead of TIFF.
