Cherokee Film Institute is taking applications for the 2026 academic year.

Applications are open to everyone 18 and older and will be available Aug. 1 through Sept. 15, at cherokeefilminstitute. com. A discounted tuition rate will be offered to citizens of federally recognized tribes.

As the world’s first tribally operated film education and workforce development center, CFI trains, develops and elevates Native American and local talent to work professionally in film and media. Aimed specifically at creating sustainable career opportunities within the Cherokee Nation and beyond, the film school’s flexible plan of study focuses on craft development, hands-on training and mentorship opportunities that prepare participants to enter Oklahoma’s rapidly growing film industry.

Since launching in 2024, the tribe’s industry standard certification program began hosting courses in January and recently celebrated its first graduating class of 28 students. Many of CFI’s inaugural class are already working on productions both in and around the tribe’s reservation, while nearly 40 more students remain enrolled in current coursework.

CFI is part of the Cherokee Film ecosystem, based in the Cherokee Nation Reservation in Oklahoma. Cherokee Film includes four distinct branches — Cherokee Film Productions, Cherokee Film Studios, Cherokee Film Commission and Cherokee Film Institute — all working toward a shared goal of innovating narrative sovereignty while creating economic development within the tribe’s reservation.