We’re thrilled to celebrate Roni Jo Draper, Ph.D.—an enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe (the largest in California) and a WMM Production Assistance (PA) Program filmmaker—on being selected for the 2025 Sundance Graton Fellowship for Artists from California-Based Tribes. Her short FIRE TENDER, made with the support of WMM’s PA Program, premiered last year on WORLD Channel’s Local USA. She is currently working on a feature film, WE ARRIVE WITH FIRE, also supported by the WMM PA Program.
As part of the fellowship, Roni will receive $25,000, mentorship, and creative development opportunities from Sundance’s Indigenous Program. “I am honored to join the Graton Fellowship as part of Sundance Institute. I am striving to tell the story of Yurok fire practices in a good way — in a way that uplifts my community and demonstrates to Indigenous peoples the power of our relationships with the land and with each other,” says Roni.
Both FIRE TENDER and her forthcoming film WE ARRIVE WITH FIRE explore how the Yurok people have used fire as both a tool and a form of medicine for generations, despite efforts by settlers to extinguish these life-sustaining traditions.
The Graton Fellowship, established in 2023 through an endowment by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, supports Indigenous filmmakers from California-based tribes—federally and non-federally recognized—and honors them at the Sundance Film Festival’s Native Forum Celebration.
Congratulations again to Roni Jo Draper—her commitment to authentic, culturally grounded storytelling exemplifies the power of Indigenous perspectives on film!
