Netflix has nabbed the Indigenous feature documentary Ceremony after a SXSW world premiere.
Director Bianchi Hanuse’s film will land on the streamer in 2027 after winning awards at SXSW, Hot Docs and the Sydney Film Festival. Ceremony centers on British Columbia’s Nuxalk Nation as it looks to restore the local population of ooligan fish, whose arrival every spring sustains the First Nations community and its ritual celebrations.
The restoration efforts, including broadcasts from the Nuxalk Radio station, also underline the resilience of the Indigenous community in the face of challenges from climate change and colonialization. “Nuxalkmc [Nuxalk people] asked for this story to be told and that responsibility took 12 years because our truth isn’t an easy one to tell. It’s a story most Canadians have never heard. We made it for us and with Netflix, we’re sharing it beyond our valley,” director Hanuse said in a statement.
In Canada, Netflix has acquired earlier Indigenous-themed or directed content, including the late Jeff Barnaby’s Rhymes for Ghouls, Stephen S. Campanelli’s Indian Horse and Miranda de Pencier’s The Grizzlies. In 2024, Netflix acquired the documentary Yintah, which follows Indigenous activists with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation looking to protect their lands and was directed by Michael Toledano, Jennifer Wickham and Brenda Mitchell.
Netflix also streams the Arctic-set Indigenous comedy North of North, a co-production with the CBC. That ongoing support for Indigenous movies and creators also comes amid calls by local indie producers and other cultural nationalists for Netflix and other U.S. tech giants and foreign players to be subject to the same content expenditure obligations as traditional broadcasters.
Ceremony is written by Hanuse and Jessica Mayhew and is produced by Smayaykila Films.