The 2026 Sundance Institute Indigenous Film Tour

Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is honored to present the 2026 Sundance Institute Indigenous Film Tour, a film program featuring the documentary feature film Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] (which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival) and one short film from Sundance Institute–supported filmmaker, Isabella Madrigal titled Menil and Her Heart.

Light refreshments will be available, and a special moderated Q&A with filmmaker Isabella Madrigal will take place immediately following the screenings. All ages are welcome. Admission to this event is free with advanced reservation, as seating in the Heritage House is limited.

Please Note: The Museum galleries and Cultural Park will close at 5:00pm and will not be accessible during this special evening program. The Museum Gift Shop will remain open to welcome event guests.

Program (in order of screening):

Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] / U.S.A., Denmark (Directors and Producers: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Producers: Steve Holmgren, Grace Remington, Jacque Clark, Franny Alfano) — Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place. Documentary feature.

Menil and Her Heart / U.S.A. (Directors: Isabella Dionne Madrigal and Sophia Dionne Madrigal) — When a teen goes missing from the Cahuilla Reservation her sister searches for the truth and is drawn into a cosmic world that may hold the answers, if she chooses to listen. Cast: Isabella Dionne Madrigal, Sophia Dionne Madrigal, Kimberly Guerrero, Renda Dionne Madrigal, Vincent Whipple, Valerie Whipple. Fiction.

The Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Institute have proudly uplifted Indigenous artistry over the past four decades, including support for directors such as Erica Tremblay, Taika Waititi, Blackhorse Lowe, Sterlin Harjo, Sky Hopinka, Caroline Monnet, Fox Maxy, and Shaandiin Tome. Support for this screening tour is provided by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.