‘Warfare’ is latest boost of Indigenous talent in mainstream films

“Warfare” opens this weekend in theaters, and it’s the latest film to feature an Indigenous actor in a breakout mainstream role. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai’s latest performance comes off of his Emmy Award-nominated turn in the groundbreaking FX show “Reservation Dogs,” a tragic-comedy series about four Native American teenagers growing up on a reservation in eastern Oklahoma.

“Warfare” has him starring as a member of a platoon of Navy SEALs who embark on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event. It’s written and directed by Alex Garland (best original screenplay for ”Ex Machina”) and Ray Mendoza (Amazon Prime’s “The Terminal List”). “Warfare” is opening with a whopping 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s so great to see Indigenous performers and filmmakers breaking into the mainstream. Here’s the latest on some other Native performers and filmmakers working on projects coming soon.

“Novocaine” – Amber Midthunder (“Hulu’s “Prey,” Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribe) stars alongside Jack Quaid (Amazon Prime’s “The Boys”) as the love interest of a man who turns his rare condition of feeling no physical pain into an unexpected advantage when she gets kidnapped. This had a mainstream theatrical release in March and will be on streaming services soon.

“The Wedding Banquet” – Best actress Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) is among the ensemble cast that follows a gay man who makes a deal with his lesbian friend: A green-card marriage for him in exchange for in vitro fertilization treatments for her. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and will have a limited theatrical release in late April.

“Free Leonard Peltier” – My Comanche friend Jhane Myers is one of the producers behind this documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, telling the story of Leonard Peltier, one of the surviving leaders of the American Indian Movement, who had been in prison for 50 years following a contentious conviction. After the film’s premiere in January, then-president Joe Biden commuted Peltier’s life sentence to home confinement beginning on Feb. 18.

“Endless Cookie” – Co-director and co-writer Peter Scriver (Shamattawa First Nations) and producer Jason Ryle (Anishinaabe) bring this entry that was screened as part of Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Competition earlier this year. It explores the complex bond between two half brothers — one Indigenous, one white — traveling from the present in isolated Shamattawa to bustling 1980s Toronto.

“Remaining Native” – Paige Bethmann (Haudenosaunee) is a director/producer based in Reno, Nevada, and brings this documentary that just had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. It’s a coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of Ku Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner, struggling to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete as the memory of his great grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future.

“Brave” – Writer/director Steven Paul Judd brings this tale that’s in pre-production, about a Native American veteran with addiction issues who meets his dying niece, who wants him to care for her dog. While he’s a match for a liver transplant to save her, his alcoholism makes him ineligible. This has an all-star Native cast with Oscar winner Wes Studi, Oscar nominee Graham Greene, Amber Midthunder and Dallas Goldtooth (the spirit warrior on “Reserveration Dogs”).

This story was originally published April 12, 2025 at 5:36 AM.