Bring your Future Into Focus

No. Cherokee Film Institute is open to anyone who is interested in gaining the skills and training needed to enter the film and media industry, including non-Native Americans.

Currently CFI offers four courses:

• Introduction to Industry: Students will gain a holistic overview of all career opportunities in the film & media industry, as well as the state of the industry. CFI stands apart from other programs because of its focus on Native American representation. The required Introduction to Industry course offers content not found in other training programs, such as what to expect when filming with tribes and protocol for filming on tribal lands. 
• Introduction to Camera Basics: Students will learn the basic information to become a beginning camera operator.
• Introduction to Location Scouting: Students will learn how to scout potential film locations, best practices in communication and working with different production departments to ensure success, among other skills. 
• Introduction to Production Office: Students will learn how to work in and run the production office of a feature film, where all administrative tasks are handled and how to work with all production departments.

Anyone interested in applying to attend Cherokee Film Institute can fill out the application located here.

No. Cherokee Film Institute courses are available to anyone 18 years or older who is interested in becoming trained to work in the film industry.

Tuition waivers are temporarily available for citizens of the Cherokee Nation or other federally recognized tribes.

Cherokee and Native citizens will be considered for a tuition waiver upon application.

Tuition waivers awarded by Cherokee Film Institute cover the cost of tuition for up to three CFI courses taken over a 12-month period. 

Currently, Cherokee Film Institute courses are only offered in person at Cherokee Film Studios, Owasso Campus.

Students who do not finish a course will not earn credit for that course towards their certification. They will need to work with a CFI staff advisor to determine their next steps in the program.

Each CFI course costs $700 to attend. Workshops and other programming that are included in the CFI certification program may charge other fees. However, Cherokee Nation citizens or citizens of another federally recognized tribe are eligible to apply for tuition waivers that cover the cost of certification ($2,100).

CFI certifies affiliate courses on a case-by-case basis. All curriculums must be submitted by the owner to be considered by CFI. For example, if you took a class at the University of Tulsa, only that institution is allowed to submit the curriculum to CFI for consideration.

CFI certification is earned through completing and passing 120 contact hours of CFI or CFI-approved workforce training. Coursework may vary from student to student. Certificate earners are required to take CFI’s “Intro to the Industry” (40 hours), followed by 80 elective hours of approved coursework. Course dates vary with different courses being offered each month. Certification can be earned within 3 months.

Cherokee Film Institute is the first-of-its-kind endeavor by a tribe. Our program was created to be more inclusive of Native Americans in film and media while providing industry-standard workforce training for individuals interested in entering the industry.

CFI courses are designed by subject matter experts and reviewed by industry professionals. This allows us to make sure that all coursework from the CFI and approved programs align with the current trends and standards of the film and media industry.

No, working on productions in Cherokee Nation is at the sole discretion of the production company. However, certification earners are accredited by Cherokee Film.

CFI does not follow a traditional school semester. Courses will be offered at different times, such as on weekends and in the evening, in an attempt to accommodate as many students’ varied schedules as possible.