If you love Native American movies like I do, you’ll find plenty to explore—from historical dramas and Westerns to coming-of-age stories, thrillers and films created by Indigenous filmmakers. In this blog, I’ve put together a curated list of films that portray Native American life from different perspectives.
Understanding Native American Movies
When I talk about Native American cinema, I mean films that explore Native cultures, people, history, traditions, communities and experiences across North America. From historical dramas to thrillers and horror movies, these films cover a much wider range of stories than the traditional Hollywood Western. Here are some of the major types American indigenous movies that I have collected using various online sources.
- Native American Historical Movies – Movies about American history, colonization, wars or displacement.
- Native American Drama Movies – Emotional stories focusing on family, community, identity, relationships and cultural struggles.
- Native American Thriller Movies – Suspenseful stories involving crime, survival, investigations, or dangerous situations in Native communities.
- Native American Horror Movies – Horror stories inspired by Indigenous legends, folklore, spirituality and supernatural traditions.
- Native American War Movies – Films involving tribal warfare, battles, military conflicts or resistance against colonial forces.
- Native American Comedy Movies – Films using humor to explore Native identity, family, community and everyday life.
- Native American Romance Movies – Stories centered around love, relationships, family and cultural differences.
I’ve picked out top 20 American indigenous movies that I think are worth watching and you must add these movies to your watchlist.
Top 20 Indigenous American Films
#1 Dances with Wolves (1990)
An Oscar-winning classic movie released in 1990
Watch On: MGM+ / fuboTV
Dances with Wolves is an Oscar-winning classic released in 1990. It follows Union soldier Lieutenant John Dunbar, who is sent to a remote military post on the American frontier. There, he develops a friendship with the nearby Lakota community, learns their language and traditions, and begins to see his military mission and the expanding United States differently. His growing bond with the Lakota eventually puts him in conflict with the world he once belonged to.
#2 Prey (2022)
A story of brave a young Comanche woman, Naru
Watch On: Hulu
Prey movie portrays a young Comanche woman, Naru who wants to prove herself that she can become a great hunter. She has great skills of tracking and the land however she is always underestimated by the people around her. Her life changes when she realizes that something far more dangerous than the animals she normally hunts has entered her territory.
The threat turns out to be the Predator, an alien hunter with technology far beyond anything Naru has ever seen. Naru has to rely on her intelligence, patience, knowledge of the environment and courage to protect her territory. The movie is the perfect blend of Comanche culture with action, survival and science fiction in a way that feels very different from most movies in the Predator franchise.
#3 Smoke Signals (1998)
A Story of Friendship and Healing
Watch On: Paramount+, Kanopy, Hoopla
Smoke Signals follows Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire, two young men from the Coeur d’Alene reservation in Idaho. They have very different personalities and their friendship has never been completely simple. Thomas is talkative, always optimistic and constantly telling stories, while Victor is more reserved and carries anger connected to his difficult relationship with his father. When Victor’s father dies in Arizona, the two friends travel there together to bring his ashes home. The road trip gives them a chance to confront memories from their childhood and the complicated feelings they have about Victor’s father. Along the way, the movie mixes humor with more serious themes about family, grief, friendship and growing up.
#4 killers Of The Flower Moon
A Tragic Story of Murder, Power and Betrayal
Watch On: Apple TV, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies
Back in 1920s Oklahoma the Killers of the Flower Moon follows the Osage Nation, whose members become wealthy after oil is discovered beneath their land. As their fortunes grow, a deadly conspiracy emerges with Osage people being systematically murdered for their wealth and inheritance.
The story centers on Ernest Burkhart who marries Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman while becoming entangled in his uncle William Hale’s sinister plot. As the killings continues, the FBI begins investigating the murders gradually uncovering a shocking network of greed, betrayal and corruption.
