Five new films to air on public television during Native American Heritage Month
October 23, 2026
Press Release
Vision Marker Media
Two New Episodes of “First Peoples, First Stories” Series Also Debut in November
LINCOLN, NE – October 6, 2026 - - Vision Maker Media (VMM), the premier source of media by and about Native Americans since 1976, marks the annual November celebration of Native American Heritage Month with five new documentaries airing nationally on the PBS World channel, alongside two new episodes of FIRST PEOPLES, FIRST STORIES, the new series showcasing short films from young Native filmmakers that premiered in the spring.
“Each year Vision Maker Media presents the best of films for public television premieres during Native American Heritage Month,” says Vision Maker Media CEO and President Francene Blythe-Lewis. “This year's lineup of films is no less robust on a variety of topics. You can expect heartfelt stories about reciprocity, recovery, and perseverance that inspire from the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest and Midwest - there is always something new to learn.”
Films premiering on PBS World in November include:
COMING HOME: FROM SHADOWLAND TO SPIRITWORLD from Daniel Golding and J. Mitchell Johnson. After sacred land goes up for sale following 170 years of dispossession brought on by the California genocide of Native peoples, Kashia Pomo Tribal elder (Otis Parrish) mentors a pair of young Tribal members (Martina Morgan and Jerry Pinola) on a journey seeking coastal land return and self-recovery that inspires healing, spiritual revival, and a search for the truth about those Tribal members gone missing and murdered. COMING HOME: FROM SHADOWLAND TO SPIRITWORLD airs on PBS World on Wednesday, November 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET (check local listings). SHE CRIED THAT DAY from Amanda Erickson. Christine Means and her family have spent years questioning the circumstances surrounding her sister's death. In 2019, a renewed sense of hope for justice places Christine at the center of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives movement in New Mexico. Against all odds, this is a story of love, spirit, and the unwavering power of Indigenous women and allies who refuse to let their loved ones be forgotten. SHE CRIED THAT DAY airs on PBS World on Thursday, November 5 at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings).
RESERVATION REDEMPTION from Brenda Fisher and Blake Pickens. Follow the journey of “Chief” Marchand Rice — a Colville Citizen and Tribal member who has spent more than three decades in prison. His journey of redemption through his heritage has turned a once reckless teenager into a leader and teacher. His relationship with Tribal elder Francis Cullooyah has had a profound effect on him and will for the rest of his life. RESERVATION REDEMPTION airs on PBS World on Thursday, November 5 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).
MEDICINE BALL from Leya Hale and Minnesota PBS. Through basketball, Native athletes confront their campus’s boarding school legacy. “Medicine Ball” follows Native college athletes Lexus Redthunder and Leroy Fairbanks IV as they navigate college life and basketball at the University of Minnesota Morris, located on the site of a former Native boarding school. Their journey reveals how basketball became a powerful symbol of resilience, hope, and cultural pride in Native communities. MEDICINE BALL airs on PBS World on Friday, November 13 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).
THE LAND RETURNS, from Margaret Jacobs, Kevin Abourezk, and Charles “Boots” Kennedye, chronicles a surprising new way that Indigenous nations are regaining their land: individual settlers, local governments, environmental organizations, and even corporations are returning stolen land to Indian nations as part of a growing grassroots movement of restitution and reconciliation. THE LAND RETURNS airs on PBS World on Thursday, November 19 at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings).
Finally, two new episodes of the Vision Maker Media series FIRST PEOPLES, FIRST STORIES air on PBS World on Saturday, November 21 at 7 and 7:30 p.m. ET (check local listings). The four short films featured in episodes three and four of the series explore the determination of Native women on their journeys toward healing, as well as the courage and strength of Native youth as they navigate their own paths forward.