Joanelle Romero

Joanelle Romero is an American filmmaker short-listed for an Academy Award in Documentary Short Branch for her film "American Holocaust: When Its all Over I’ll Still Be Indian". She is the first and to date the only American Indian filmmaker to be short-listed in this category. She is the founder/CEO/President of Red Nation Television Network, Red Nation International Film Festival-the largest American Indian & Indigenous film festival in the country. Native Women in Film & Television. She is an actress, recording artist and humanitarian, of Native American descent. She is one of the first Native filmmakers to be invited to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. In 2007 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.
Personal life.
Romero was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1957. She was raised in Los Angeles, California. She identifies as being of Apache, Dinétah, Paiute and Sephardic Jewish descent.
Career.
Romero is the first Native filmmaker to be short-listed for an Academy Award, for her documentary short, "American Holocaust: When It’s All Over I’ll Still Be Indian". narrated by Ed Asner. Romero directed, produced, wrote and scored the music for the film that compares the Holocaust with the United States governments treatment of American Indians and the lasting effects on contemporary culture.
In 1991 Romero founded Spirit World Productions, the first Native woman-led production company, She was inspired to create Spirit World Productions due to the lack of Native representation in the entertainment industry. Spirit World released "American Holocaust: When It’s All Over I’ll Still Be Indian", a documentary film narrated by Ed Asner. Romero directed, produced, wrote and scored the music for the film that compares the Holocaust with the United States governments treatment of American Indians and the lasting effects on contemporary culture.
Romero founded the nonprofit organization Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI).
In 2005 she was the recipient of the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award for "the vision to see the truth…and the courage to speak it." Romero started the first Native American Heritage Month in Los Angeles in November 2005, garnering her the title "The First Lady" of American Indian Heritage Month.
As an actress, Romero has appeared in the films "The Girl Called Hatter Fox" (1977 TV movie based on the novel by Marilyn Harris, which marked the first time a Native American actress played a leading role), "Barbarosa", "Parasite" and "Powwow Highway.
She performs traditional spiritual and country blues songs.