Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "native-american-protagonist"

1. Echo (2023–2024)

TV-MA | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Crime

Maya Lopez must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.

Stars: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Graham Greene

Votes: 36,187

2. Reservation Dogs (2021–2023)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Crime

Comedy series about four Native American teenagers growing up on a reservation in eastern Oklahoma.

Stars: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor

Votes: 24,267

3. Pocahontas (I) (1995)

G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.

Directors: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg | Stars: Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale, Joe Baker

Votes: 203,144 | Gross: $141.60M

4. Brother Bear (2003)

G | 85 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

When a young Inuit hunter needlessly kills a bear, he is magically changed into a bear himself as punishment with a talkative cub being his only guide to changing back.

Directors: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Jason Raize

Votes: 123,918 | Gross: $85.34M

5. Smoke Signals (1998)

PG-13 | 89 min | Comedy, Drama

Arnold rescued Thomas from a fire when he was a child. Thomas thinks of Arnold as a hero, while Arnold's son Victor resents his father's alcoholism, violence and abandonment of his family.

Director: Chris Eyre | Stars: Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer

Votes: 12,608 | Gross: $6.72M

6. Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)

PG-13 | 115 min | Drama, History, Western

The story of the Apache chief and his armed resistance to the U.S. Government's subjugation of his people.

Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Wes Studi

Votes: 13,499 | Gross: $18.64M

7. Pocahontas 2: Journey to a New World (1998) (V) (1998 Video)

G | 73 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

Pocahontas sets off on a journey to England with Meeko, Flit, and Percy. Hearing rumors of John Smith's death, Pocahontas tries to prevent war and battle.

Directors: Tom Ellery, Bradley Raymond | Stars: Irene Bedard, Donal Gibson, Jim Cummings, Finola Hughes

Votes: 17,284

8. Crazy Horse (1996 TV Movie)

TV-14 | 90 min | Action, Biography, Drama

The legendary Native American chieftain refuses to go with his people peacefully to the reservation and starts a rebellion.

Director: John Irvin | Stars: Michael Greyeyes, Victor Aaron, Nathaniel Arcand, Frankie Avina

Votes: 519

9. Devil's Doorway (1950)

Approved | 84 min | Western

After the Civil War, a highly decorated Shoshone Indian veteran plans to raise cattle in Wyoming but white farmers plan to grab fertile tribal lands by pitting the whites against the Indians.

Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson

Votes: 1,855

10. Skinwalkers (2002 TV Movie)

100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The story revolves around the legend of the skin walkers or "S Dubs", a folk legend from Utah about the spirits of murdered Indians returning to seek revenge upon those who disrespect the land.

Director: Chris Eyre | Stars: Harrison Lowe, James Dalgai, Adam Beach, Saginaw Grant

Votes: 1,055

11. The Rez (1996–1997)

Drama

Spin off television series based on the characters from "Dance Me Outside"

Stars: Ryan Rajendra Black, Jennifer Podemski, Darrell Dennis, John L'Ecuyer

Votes: 112

12. Powwow Highway (1988)

R | 91 min | Adventure, Drama

Two Northern Cheyenne men take a road trip from Montana to New Mexico to bail out the sister of one of them who has been framed and arrested in Santa Fe. On the way, they begin to reconnect to their spiritual heritage.

Director: Jonathan Wacks | Stars: Gary Farmer, A Martinez, Joanelle Romero, Amanda Wyss

Votes: 1,903 | Gross: $0.28M

13. Ixcanul (2015)

Not Rated | 93 min | Drama

On the slopes of an active volcano in Guatemala, a marriage is arranged for seventeen-year-old María by her Kaqchikel parents.

Director: Jayro Bustamante | Stars: María Mercedes Coroy, María Telón, Manuel Antún, Justo Lorenzo

Votes: 3,264 | Gross: $0.29M

14. Mohawk (2017)

91 min | Action, Drama, History

Late in the War of 1812, a young Mohawk woman and her two lovers battle a squad of American soldiers hell-bent on revenge.

Director: Ted Geoghegan | Stars: Kaniehtiio Horn, Ezra Buzzington, Eamon Farren, Justin Rain

Votes: 1,698

15. The Animals (1970)

R | 86 min | Western

A woman tracks down the five men who raped her, helped by an Apache.

Director: Ron Joy | Stars: Michele Carey, Henry Silva, Keenan Wynn, John Anderson

Votes: 432

16. Sioux City (1994)

PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

A young Lakota Sioux, adopted by a wealthy Jewish couple in Beverly Hills, gets in touch with his cultural roots and solves a mystery in this thriller. Because of his upbringing, Jesse ... See full summary »

Director: Lou Diamond Phillips | Stars: Lou Diamond Phillips, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Melinda Dillon, Lise Cutter

Votes: 520

17. Dance Me Outside (1994)

R | 84 min | Comedy, Drama

A story of life on a First Nations reserve in Ontario: Silas and Frank are trying to get into college to train to be mechanics but they find themselves having to deal with girls, family - and murder.

Director: Bruce McDonald | Stars: Ryan Rajendra Black, Adam Beach, Jennifer Podemski, Michael Greyeyes

Votes: 1,334 | Gross: $0.30M

18. Raven Hawk (1995 TV Movie)

R | 88 min | Action, Drama

A Native-American woman, who was framed for the murders of her parents years before, returns to her reservation to seek revenge.

Director: Albert Pyun | Stars: Rachel McLish, John Enos III, Ed Lauter, Matt Clark

Votes: 908

19. The Education of Little Tree (1997)

PG | 112 min | Drama

Little Tree is an 8-year-old Cherokee boy who loses his parents during The Great Depression and begins living with his Indian grandparents and learning the Cherokee way of life.

Director: Richard Friedenberg | Stars: James Cromwell, Joseph Ashton, Tantoo Cardinal, Mika Boorem

Votes: 1,825 | Gross: $0.12M

20. Turok: Son of Stone (2008 Video)

TV-PG | 73 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

While defending his tribe from a bloodthirsty enemy tribe, a Native American warrior named Turok finds himself in a prehistoric dinosaur world along with his nephew, sister-in-law, and the sadistic leader of the other tribe.

Directors: Curt Geda, Dan Riba, Frank Squillace, Tad Stones | Stars: Iyari Limon, Rick Mora, Adam Gifford, Matthew Yang King

Votes: 869

21. Black Cloud (2004)

PG-13 | 97 min | Drama

Black Cloud, is an inspirational story about a young Navajo, Native American boxer, who overcomes personal challenges as he comes to terms with his heritage, while fighting his way for a spot on the US Olympic boxing team.

Director: Ricky Schroder | Stars: Eddie Spears, Russell Means, Julia Jones, Tim McGraw

Votes: 548

22. Run, Simon, Run (1970 TV Movie)

PG-13 | 74 min | Adventure, Thriller

A Papago Indian returns to his reservation after a prison term and searches for his brother's killer.

Director: George McCowan | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Inger Stevens, Royal Dano, James Best

Votes: 256

23. Prey (2006 Video Game)

M | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

Cherokee Tommy (Domassi) must rescue his girlfriend and grandfather from the clutches of an Alien spaceship orbiting earth.

Director: Chris Rhinehart | Stars: Michael Greyeyes, Crystle Lightning, John William Galt, Lee Ernst

Votes: 1,131

24. Desert Kickboxer (1992)

R | 86 min | Action, Drama, Western

A native American hero helps a couple fighting a group of crooks who plan to steal their money.

Director: Isaac Florentine | Stars: John Newton, Paul L. Smith, Judie Aronson, Frankie Avina

Votes: 261

25. Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee (1994 TV Movie)

TV-14 | 100 min | Drama

Mary Crow Dog, daughter of a desperately poor Indian family in South Dakota, is swept up in the protests of the 1960s and becomes sensitized to the injustices that society inflicts on her ... See full summary »

Director: Frank Pierson | Stars: Charles Abourezk, Dave Bald Eagle, Lawrence Bayne, Edgar Bear Runner

Votes: 331

26. Rustic Oracle (2019)

101 min | Drama

Set in the late 90s, Rustic Oracle is a dramatic feature about Ivy, an 8-year-old girl trying to understand what happened to her big sister who has vanished from their small Mohawk ... See full summary »

Director: Sonia Bonspille Boileau | Stars: Lake Delisle, Carmen Moore, McKenzie Deer Robinson, Margo Kane

Votes: 145

27. The Business of Fancydancing (2002)

103 min | Drama, Music

Seymour Polatkin is a successful, gay Native American poet from Spokane who confronts his past when he returns to his childhood home on the reservation to attend the funeral of a dear friend.

Director: Sherman Alexie | Stars: Evan Adams, Michelle St. John, Gene Tagaban, Swil Kanim

Votes: 550 | Gross: $0.17M

28. Naturally Native (1998)

PG-13 | 107 min | Drama

Three Native American sisters (Red-Horse, Bedard, Guerrero) decide to try to sell a line of cosmetics they call Naturally Native, based on old tribal remedies, only to have to fight an ... See full summary »

Directors: Jennifer Wynne Farmer, Valerie Red-Horse | Stars: Valerie Red-Horse, Yvonne Russo, Irene Bedard, Kimberly Guerrero

Votes: 168 | Gross: $0.01M

29. The Mystic Warrior (1984 TV Movie)

300 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Saga about a proud band of Sioux Indians, and the efforts of one brave to save his people from destruction through the use of mysterious powers handed down by ancestors.

Director: Richard T. Heffron | Stars: Robert Beltran, Devon Ericson, Rion Hunter, Victoria Racimo

Votes: 128

30. Spirit Rider (1993 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Family

After a life of being shuttled from one foster home to another, 16-year-old Jesse Three Bears is reacquainted with his grandfather where unresolved historical tensions resurface forcing the two of them to reconcile with their past.

Director: Michael J.F. Scott | Stars: Herbie Barnes, Gordon Tootoosis, Michelle St. John, Tantoo Cardinal

Votes: 150

31. The Doe Boy (2001)

85 min | Drama, Romance

A Cherokee boy is a haemophiliac in a culture obsessed with blood identity.

Director: Randy Redroad | Stars: Kevin Anderson, Robert A. Guthrie, Nathaniel Arcand, Jeri Arredondo

Votes: 295

32. Pocahontas: Princess of the American Indians (1997)

TV-Y7 | Animation, Action, Adventure

In her journey, Pocahontas and her spiritual companion Hopi Ho, get the chance to become acquainted with the different ways of living of the different American Indian tribes that they visit.

Stars: Teresa Pascarelli, Francis Pardeilhan, Gregory Snegoff, Emanuela Pacotto

Votes: 53

33. Once Upon a Time... the Americas (1991–1992)

30 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

"Once Upon a Time - The Americas," part of the popular French cartoon franchise "Il était une fois..." , follows the both epic and tragic history of the American continent.

Stars: Patrick Préjean, Roger Carel, Sady Rebbot, Jacques Brunet

Votes: 928

34. Lakota Girls (2017)

94 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

This is a historical drama about Mato Win, an eight-year-old Native American girl who lives at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. After her parents are critically injured in an ... See full summary »

Director: Mollianne Cameron | Stars: Ohitika Looking Horse, Clara Cameron, Samuel Shoulder, Alexa Raye

Votes: 11

35. Off the Rez (2011)

Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Family, Sport

The story of a Native American family in Oregon that leaves the reservation in pursuit of the American dream on behalf of one of their 8 children, a 16 year-old girl who is one of the best ... See full summary »

Director: Jonathan Hock | Stars: Ceci Moses, Delores Moses, Lillian Moses, Jude Schimmel

Votes: 90

36. Run, Broken Yet Brave (2009)

93 min | Drama, Family

RUN, is the story of Ashley, a sixteen-year old teenager with a chip on her shoulder. She is sent by her mom to spend a month of her summer holidays with her grandparents on the family farm... See full summary »

Director: Tom Simes | Stars: Ariel Yurach, Joseph Naytowhow, Julie Janzen, Krystle Pederson

Votes: 29

37. Pocahontas (1995 Video Game)

Animation, Action, Adventure

Platform game about the adventures of real life young Native American girl Pocahontas and explorer John Smith featuring 2D animation.

Director: Angela Sutherland

38. Son of Stone: Turok

Short, Action, Fantasy | Announced

A native American warrior finds himself in a fantastic world fighting off monsters and dinosaurs.

Director: Preston Michael Simpson

39. Young Pocahontas Interactive Storybook (1995 Video Game)

K-A | Adventure, Family

Interactive storybook based on the cartoon short "Young Pocahontas (1997)". The storybook is narrated by the lady bear from the cartoon and features a simple puzzle, interactive illustrations, songs from the short and the short itself.

Star: Mona Marshall

40. Sunday Showcase (1959–1961)
Episode: The American (1960)

60 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

Between scenes of a movie ("Sands of Iwo Jima") in which he appears as an extra, Pima Indian Ira Hayes recalls the horrors of the actual battle of Iwo Jima in which he forever sealed his ... See full summary »

Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Lee Marvin, Thomas A. Carlin, Frank Corsaro, Steven Hill

41. Dark Winds (2022– )
Episode: The March (2023)

TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Leaphorn risks his life in pursuit of a suspect; Manuelito stands up to the sheriff in a bid to rescue her boss; seeking answers on a case, Chee considers a dangerous proposition.

Director: Michael Nankin | Stars: Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison

Votes: 373

42. Dark Winds (2022– )
Episode: Hózhó náhásdlii (Beauty Is Restored) (2023)

TV-14 | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Leaphorn and Chee discover evidence that connects their cases, only for Leaphorn to realize justice won't be easily served. Meanwhile, Manuelito prepares for a big life change.

Director: Chris Eyre | Stars: Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison

Votes: 411