SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER TO HOST SUNDANCE INSTITUTE INDIGENOUS FILM TOUR
SANTA YNEZ, CA – July 1, 2026 — The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center will host the 2026 Sundance Institute Indigenous Film Tour from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 11. The program will showcase the documentary feature film “Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild],” which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, and a short film by Sundance Institute–supported filmmaker Isabella Madrigal: “Menil and Her Heart.” The Indigenous Film Tour allows audiences to experience original works by Native storytellers on the big screen.
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.
The screenings are an opportunity for outreach to California Native filmmakers seeking artistic growth and practical support. Attendees will learn more about the Graton Artist Opportunity and the Graton Fellowship, a program entering its fourth year that provides support to Indigenous storytellers from California-based tribes. These programs, made possible by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, aim to invest in the development and growth of the next generation of Indigenous artists in California.
Adam Piron, director of the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program, said, “Our team is pleased to bring a sampling of Indigenous cinema to Santa Barbara County via our Indigenous Film Tour this summer. These films are each unique but share a creativity of vision that deserves to be seen on a big screen, and we can’t wait to hear the conversations generated around these screenings.”
James Bier, museum director for the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center, said, “We’re really looking forward to presenting this specially curated program. Indigenous cinema is inventive and diverse and speaks to a variety of topics we know our audiences will find compelling, and we appreciate our partners at the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program for their collaboration on bringing this selection to Santa Ynez.”
A special moderated Q&A with filmmaker Isabella Madrigal will take place immediately following the screenings. Please note: The Museum galleries and Cultural Park will close at 5 p.m. and will not be accessible during this special evening program. The museum gift shop will remain open to welcome event guests.
For more information, visit sychumashmuseum.org.
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 Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is a 14,000-square-foot facility located at the corner of Highway 246 and Edison Street in Santa Ynez. The museum showcases a portion of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ collection of more than 24,000 historically significant cultural items, including baskets, musical instruments, hunting tools, ceremonial items and regalia, highlighting the richness and diversity of Chumash culture. Designed by award-winning Jones & Jones Architects, the museum’s architecture pays homage to traditional Chumash tule ’ap dwellings and is complemented by a 3.5-acre cultural park featuring outdoor exhibits and more than 11,000 California native plants used by the Chumash.
The museum is located at 3500 Numancia St. in Santa Ynez and offers free parking. Annual memberships are available for purchase, and the museum also accepts donations, which support facility maintenance, the creation of new exhibits and educational programming. Before experiencing the museum, the tribe encourages visitors to explore the facility’s informative website at sychumashmuseum.org to preview the exhibits, explore aspects of the 3.5-acre park and plan their visit.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is located in Santa Barbara County, California. Its reservation was established and officially recognized by the federal government in 1901. Today, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians remains the only federally recognized Chumash tribe in the nation. The tribe is a self-governing sovereign nation and follows the laws set forth in its tribal constitution.