Tribal Student produced film makes it to film festivals!

Southern Ute Education’s Filmmaking Workshop students’ film “Speaking Ute” will be featured at this year’s Indigenous Cultural Film Festival – INCUFF 2026, at the Merkezefendi Cultural Center in Denizli, Turkey.

The film “Speaking Ute” has been featured previously at the Native Lens Showcase at the Durango Independent Film Festival on March 7, 2026, the Nyack International Film Festival March 22-28, 2026, the 2026 Tonkawa Film Festival on April 24-25, 2026, Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 14-16, 2026, and the upcoming feature at the Native Spirit Festival 2026 in October to November 2026 in London/UK.

The film was written and produced by four Ignacio High School Native American Students during the Summer of 2025 through the Filmmaking Workshop hosted by the Southern Ute Education Department and Sunshine Cloud Smith Youth Advisory Council.

The Southern Ute Education Department and Sunshine Cloud Smith Youth Advisory Council encourage Southern Ute Tribal Membership, Tribal Leadership, and the community to support the filmmakers in their production. The Southern Ute Education Department and Sunshine Cloud Smith Youth Advisory Council would like to thank the students for their hard work, dedication, and time making this film possible.

For further questions please contact Dustin L. Weaver at 970-563-0235 or dweaver@southernute.nsn.gov

Note: The Indigenous Culture Film Festival (INCUFF-2026) took place from October 14 – 18, 2026, at the Merkezefendi Culture Center in Denizli, Türkiye (Turkey).