A single mom’s exploration of the supernatural underworld, a teenager who longs to sing, and a complicated one-night stand were among the subjects as NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) hosted its November Monthly Film Festival, which featured its annual InFocus: Indigenous Cinema program.
The program highlighted the work of indigenous filmmakers in front of and behind the camera, the Los Angeles Premiere of Shakti, writer-director Nani Sahra Walker’s narrative debut feature, and November Shorts, an offering of highlights from NFMLA’s ongoing general program.
The line-up began with November Shorts, an eclectic mix of short narratives that offered satire, laughter, food for thought and connection. The block offered stories about cults, AI, housing, first periods and friendships.
The day’s programming continued with InFocus: Indigenous Cinema, a selection of short films by indigenous storytellers from around the world. The block offered stories about the preservation of indigenous traditions, the intentional cultivation of the next generation, sitting with grief, channeling anger and navigating a life between two cultures.
The evening concluded with the Los Angeles Premiere of Shakti, the narrative directorial debut of Academy Award–winning executive producer and independent writer, director, and producer Nani Sahra Walker. Set in her native Kathmandu, Shakti intimately captured the journey of a mother seeking healing for her daughter for an unknown ailment, facing her own vulnerability and finding her strength in the process.
NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year, across both our general and InFocus programming. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the schedule for InFocus programming, which celebrates representation by spotlighting various communities of filmmakers as part of the NFMLA Monthly Film Festival. This project is made possible in part by grant support from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Here is more information about the films and filmmakers, provided by NFMLA.
“Color Theories” directed by Devin Jane Febbroriello
About Devin: Devin Jane Febbroriello was named one of the Top 25 screenwriters to watch in 2025 by the International Screenwriters Association and invited onto the ISA 2025 Development Slate. She has written/directed and produced award-winning music videos and short films that have screened at SXSW, Dances With Films, Pitchfork, Cinequest, Filmfort, BUFF Malmo, Nashville Film Festival, Venice VR Expanded, Portland Film Festival, Bend Film Festival, Stereogum, Rolling Stone, Tacoma Film Festival and more. Her pilot script for the episodic series “Blood is Thicker”” was a finalist in Screencraft TV Pilot Script Competition, and her feature script “”Kathleen’s Sound Bath”” was an Austin Film Festival 2024 Second Rounder, a Script Lab Semi-Finalist, and a Finalist for the ISA Fast Track Fellowship 2025.
She received her Bachelor of Art in film from Emerson College, attended specialized cinema studies at FAMU (Czech Republic), and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting through the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts at Maharishi University. Throughout her career Devin has maintained strong involvement in media activism and has developed a variety of diversity and inclusion programs, raised over $300,000 in grants for her efforts, and co-owns a production company and studio collective called Desert Island Studios focused on uplifting and mentoring up and coming filmmakers from diverse backgrounds.
About “Color Theories”: “Color Theories” is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story that follows 13-year-old Charlotte, adrift in processing the complexities of her mother’s stroke while navigating her changing body and perspective the summer she gets her first period, through a symbolic exploration of the visible light spectrum ROY G BIV.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Devin Jane Febbroriello, the director of “Color Theories”:
“Kusi Smiles” directed by Sisa Quispe
About Sisa: Sisa Quispe is a Quechua-Aymara award-winning director and writer based in New York City. Her films center Indigenous knowledge and decolonial narratives, exploring identity, healing, migration, and intergenerational resilience. She wrote and directed “Kusi Smiles” (Slamdance premiere, LFI/Netflix Fellowship) and “Urpi: Her Last Wish” (The Gotham’s 2023 Student Short Film Showcase, distributed by Focus Features, JetBlue in-flight). A 4th World Media Lab fellow and TEDx speaker, Quispe is committed to uplifting Indigenous women’s voices and produces Ciaorose Lab, a film lab for Quechua youth to write and direct their own stories.
About “Kusi Smiles”: Unable to sing, a Quechua teenager returns to her Andean community, where sisterhood, music, and the land that raised her guide her through grief toward healing.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Sisa Quispe the director of “Kusi Smiles”:
“The Knowledge Keepers” directed by Peter Kirk
About Brad: Peter Kirk is a proud Indigenous Australian director, storyteller, and creative leader with over two decades of experience across film, television, advertising, and digital media. As a multi–award-winning director and co-founder of Campfire x, Peter’s work is grounded in cultural integrity, community care, and a relentless drive for creative excellence. Peter has shaped the narrative landscape both nationally and internationally, directing powerful campaigns for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Lynx, Smirnoff, Xbox, Netflix, Ray-Ban, Microsoft, and Greenpeace. His unique approach — bold, collaborative, and deeply human — has earned him global acclaim, including Webby Awards (Lynx Effect, Cyberbullying), ADMA Awards (Xbox, Greenpeace), W3 Awards, and film accolades such as Best Drama and Best Soundtrack at the West Hollywood International Film Festival.
A natural mentor and creative thinker, Peter is known for creating environments where teams feel empowered to take risks, believing firmly that “through failing, we succeed.” His leadership fosters trust, experimentation, and results. As a juror for Spikes Asia, Peter continues to influence the industry through a lens of cultural strength and creative bravery. Peter’s feature film Hello Forever — ranked by IMDb as the #119 best indie films of 2013 — is distributed by Champion Entertainment in the U.S. and has been celebrated at international festivals including Hawaii, SOCAL, and West Hollywood. He also successfully ran a grassroots Kickstarter campaign to bring the film to life, further proving his ability to mobilize community around powerful storytelling.
About “The Knowledge Keepers”: In an age of extreme weather affecting millions, it’s time we listened to the past to prepare for the future. It’s time we listened to First Nations land practitioners.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Brad Cooke the producer of “The Knowledge Keepers”:
“Cuming Out” directed by Jasmine J. Johnson
About Jasmine: Jasmine J. Johnson (“J.J.J.”) is a director, writer and producer who originally hails from Bowie, Maryland. She attended Temple University, where she received her BA in Film and Media Arts. Johnson uses magical realism, surrealism, genre and a pinch of humor to focus on themes of discovery and those seemingly modest moments that epitomize human resilience. She was selected to participate in AFI’s prestigious DWW+ program (Class of ‘25), Rideback Rise’s 2025 Circle as well as Indeed and Hillman Grad’s esteemed Rising Voices program. Her shorts have screened at SXSW, Tribeca, Hollyshorts and SeriesFest amongst others.
About “Cuming Out”: Kennedy’s desire for a heteronormative experience sees her embark on a one-night-stand. What could possibly go wrong?
Watch the NFMLA with Jasmine J. Johnson the director of “Cuming Out”:
“Shakti” directed by Nani Sahra Walker
About Nani: Nani Sahra Walker is an Academy Award–winning executive producer and independent writer, director, and producer. A native of Kathmandu now based in Los Angeles, she executive produced the acclaimed short documentaries “Kylie” (Sundance 2023), “Merman” (Tribeca 2023), and “The Last Repair Shop” (Telluride 2023), which won the 2024 Oscar for Best Documentary Short. Her feature documentary Other Nature (2012) screened at BFI Flare, Frameline, Outfest, and more than a dozen other festivals. She teaches at UC Berkeley and mentors filmmakers at the American Film Showcase held at USC. “Shakti” is her narrative directorial debut.
About “Shakti”: When her mischievous daughter falls mysteriously ill, a single mother is drawn into Kathmandu’s supernatural underworld of shamans and secrets — where resilience may be their only path to redemption.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Nani Sahra Walker the director of “Shakti”:
“Single Residence Occupancy” directed by Omer Ben Shachar
About Omer: A Chinese immigrant mother living in a Single Room Occupancy apartment grapples with telling her children their application for better housing was denied.
About “Single Residence Occupancy”: Omer Ben-Shachar is an award-winning writer/director. His short “Tree #3” won a Student Academy Award, Urbanworld’s Best Young Creator Award, and Palm Springs’ Audience Award, among others. His recent film ‘Single Residence Occupancy’ won first place at Imagine Entertainment & Adobe ShortFest and Atlanta Film Festival’s Academy Award-Qualifying Jury Award. An AFI Conservatory graduate, Omer participated in Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab and Project Involve, Warner Bros. TV Directors’ Workshop, and Paramount’s Viewfinder Program. Omer also directed music videos featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Nowness, earning multiple Vimeo Staff Picks, a Webby Award, and a Cannes Lions Young Directors Award nomination.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Omer Ben Shachar the director of “Single Residence Occupancy”:
“We’re Gonna Die Alone” directed by Portlynn Tagavi
About Portlynn: Portlynn Tagavi is a Los Angeles–based writer-director and story artist whose work blends grounded emotion with dark comedic storytelling. A CalArts Character Animation graduate and AFI Directing alum, she has nearly a decade of experience in both animation and live action. Her AFI thesis film “They Won’t Last” won the Student Emmy, was shortlisted for the BAFTA Student Film Awards, and screened at more than 50 festivals worldwide. Her recent short “Mosh” premiered at Slamdance and the LA International Shorts Festival, developed through Film Independent’s Project Involve, where she was a Directing Fellow. As a story artist, she has shaped narratives at Netflix, DreamWorks, Fox, Paramount, and the Jim Henson Company, contributing to features including Thelma the Unicorn, The Magician’s Elephant, and Steps. Portlynn is represented by CAA.
About “We’re Gonna Die Alone”: On the night before moving in with her boyfriend, Rudy throws her recently dumped roommate and best friend one last wild night, only to realize saying goodbye is harder than expected.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Portlynn Tagavi the director of “We’re Gonna Die Alone”:
Main image: “Kusi Smiles.” NFMLA