The Thesis
For centuries, millions of people indigenous to the American continent — people with documented Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Lumbee, Powhatan, and dozens of other tribal lineages — were systematically reclassified as "Negro," "Colored," and later "Black" through a deliberate campaign of paper genocide.
This was not accidental. It was legislated, enforced, and maintained through census manipulation, blood quantum laws, racial integrity acts, the Dawes Rolls, and a century of Hollywood propaganda that told the world what an "Indian" was supposed to look like — effectively erasing anyone who didn't match the manufactured image.
The result: some of the most important cultural figures in American history — Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Charley Patton, Chaka Khan — carried Indigenous blood and Indigenous cultural inheritance, but were classified exclusively as "Black." Their Indigenous identity was erased. Their music, which carried Indigenous rhythms and spiritual traditions, was rebranded as something else entirely.
This film does not argue that these artists were "not Black." It argues that they were also Indigenous — and that the forced separation of these identities was an act of cultural violence that continues to this day. The binary racial system that America imposed was designed to erase complexity, steal land, break treaty obligations, and destroy the evidence of who people really were.
This is a story about identity theft on a civilizational scale. And it's a story that has never been told at this level, to this audience, with this much evidence.
The Erasure
Paper Genocide: The Legislative Weapons
The Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924
Virginia's Act imposed a strict binary: you were either "White" or "Colored." There was no category for Indigenous people with darker skin. Walter Ashby Plecker, the state registrar of vital statistics, personally led a campaign to reclassify families with known Indigenous heritage as "Colored" in official records. He wrote letters to local registrars ordering them to change birth certificates. He maintained a list of surnames he considered "mixed" and demanded they be recorded as non-white. Entire communities — the Rappahannock, Pamunkey, Monacan, and other Virginia tribes — had their identity stripped on paper.
The One-Drop Rule
Derived from anti-miscegenation laws, the "one-drop rule" held that any person with any African ancestry was legally "Black." This rule had a devastating secondary effect: Indigenous people with any African intermixture — common throughout the Southeast due to centuries of intermarriage, shared resistance, and proximity — were legally reclassified out of their tribal identity. They could not be both. The state would not allow it.
The Dawes Rolls (1898-1914)
When the federal government created enrollment lists for the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole) in preparation for land allotment, enrollment commissioners made visual racial assessments. Darker-skinned applicants were frequently placed on the "Freedmen Rolls" rather than the "Blood Rolls" — regardless of their actual tribal ancestry. This single bureaucratic decision stripped them of recognized Indigenous status and, critically, of their land allotments under tribal treaty rights.
Blood Quantum Laws
The federal blood quantum system, imposed by the U.S. government (not by tribes originally), required a minimum percentage of documented "Indian blood" for tribal recognition. Because darker-skinned Indigenous people had already been classified as "Negro" on earlier documents, they could not prove the required blood quantum. The circularity was the point: reclassify them first, then require the very documents you falsified as proof of identity.
The U.S. Census as Weapon
Census enumerators made racial determinations by visual assessment. From the 1790 Census onward, categories were designed to serve a binary: White or Other. Indigenous people, particularly in the Southeast, were frequently recorded as "Mulatto," "Free Colored," or "Negro." By 1960, the Census Bureau estimated that only 523,591 Native Americans existed in the U.S. — a number impossibly low by any genetic or historical measure. The true population was hidden inside the "Black" category.
Academic Miseducation
American school curricula taught — and largely still teach — a version of history in which Indigenous peoples were a separate, vanishing population with no connection to Black communities. The "Thanksgiving myth" portrays a clean narrative of encounter and decline. The Trail of Tears is taught as a closed chapter. The ongoing existence of millions of people with Indigenous heritage within Black communities is simply omitted.
The result: Black Americans with Indigenous ancestry are taught to identify exclusively as Black. Indigenous Americans are taught that their communities are small and shrinking. Neither group is taught that they share millions of relatives.
Hollywood Propaganda
For a century, Hollywood constructed a visual archetype of the "American Indian" — straight-haired, copper-skinned, beaded and feathered, usually played by white actors in redface. This image was not just inaccurate; it was actively exclusionary. It told the world that Indigenous identity has a specific phenotype. If you don't look like the movies, you're not Indian. This visual propaganda has been more effective than any law at maintaining the erasure.
As of the 2020 Census, 6.79 million Americans identify as Native American or Alaska Native, and 61% of them identify as multiracial. Between 2000 and 2018, there was a 77% increase in people identifying as multiracial Native American. The erasure is being undone — but the story of how it happened has never been told at scale.
The Artists
These are not claims. These are documented lineages that were publicly known, often spoken about by the artists themselves, and then quietly omitted from the official narrative.
Charley Patton
The "Father of the Delta Blues" was of mixed Choctaw and African American heritage, born on a plantation near Edwards, Mississippi, in the heart of former Choctaw territory. His music drew directly from Indigenous and African sonic traditions. He is classified in every music history as a "Black" blues musician. His Choctaw identity is a footnote at best.
Jimi Hendrix
Hendrix's paternal grandmother, Zenora "Nora" Rose Moore, was Cherokee. Hendrix spoke about his Indigenous heritage in interviews and incorporated it into his visual aesthetic and artistic identity. His official biography classifies him as African American. The Cherokee lineage is treated as trivia rather than identity.
Michael Jackson
The Jackson family has documented Choctaw ancestry through their maternal lineage. Katherine Jackson (née Scruse) has spoken about this heritage. Despite being one of the most analyzed public figures in history, Michael Jackson's Indigenous ancestry is virtually absent from the cultural record.
James Brown
The "Godfather of Soul" had documented Native American heritage and spoke about it publicly. Born in Barnwell, South Carolina — territory historically home to multiple Indigenous nations. His music fused African polyrhythmic traditions with Indigenous sonic elements. Classified exclusively as Black in every historical account.
Chaka Khan
Born Yvette Marie Stevens, Chaka Khan has spoken about her Blackfoot heritage. Like many artists of her generation, the Indigenous aspect of her identity was acknowledged personally but erased from the public narrative. She is classified as an African American R&B/funk artist without qualification.
Tina Turner
Born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner had Cherokee and Choctaw ancestry. She spoke about her Indigenous heritage in interviews. The cultural record classifies her exclusively as Black.
Eartha Kitt
Born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina, Kitt was of Cherokee, African American, and European descent. She was given away as a child partly because her mixed heritage made her an outsider in both communities — a direct consequence of the racial binary system.
Little Richard
Richard Penniman had documented Cherokee and Creek ancestry. Born in Macon, Georgia — the heart of former Creek Nation territory. His flamboyant performance style drew from multiple cultural traditions. Classified exclusively as a Black rock and roll pioneer.
Notice the geography: Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia. The Deep South — former territory of the "Five Civilized Tribes." This is not coincidence. These are the lands where Indigenous and African peoples lived together, intermarried, and built shared communities for centuries before the U.S. government imposed a racial binary that forced them apart on paper.
Cultural References
Sinners (Ryan Coogler, 2025)
Sinners is the proof of concept. Coogler's film, set in the Deep South and exploring Black Southern identity with supernatural and historical layers, opened to $48M and has grossed $369M worldwide — the biggest original film debut since Us in 2019. It holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes from 428 reviews.
What Sinners proved: audiences are hungry for stories that explore the deeper, more complex layers of Black identity in the American South. It proved that a film rooted in a specific cultural truth can reach a global audience of hundreds of millions. It proved the market exists.
Your film goes where Sinners gestured: into the specific, documented, suppressed truth of who these communities were before the state intervened.
Miles Caton — "I Lied to You"
Caton's work operates at the intersection of truth-telling and artistic confrontation. The title itself — "I Lied to You" — captures the core thesis of your film: the systematic lie told by institutions to millions of people about who they are. This is not just artistic reference; it's thematic architecture. The film's emotional spine should carry this energy: the moment of revelation, the anger of discovery, the demand for truth.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017)
This documentary explored how Native American music influenced rock, blues, and jazz. It won the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award and aired on PBS Independent Lens. It is the closest existing comparable to your project — but it approached from the music side, not the identity-erasure side. Your film picks up where Rumble left off and goes deeper: not just "these artists had Indigenous roots" but "here is the system that stole those roots from the record."
Hollywood as Weapon
Hollywood was one of the primary tools of erasure. For a century, it defined what an "Indian" looks like, sounds like, acts like — and in doing so, told millions of Indigenous people with darker skin that they didn't exist. The poetic justice of using that same machine to undo the damage is not lost.
The Strategy: Hybrid Documentary
The most effective approach is a hybrid documentary that combines:
- Archival evidence — Census records, Dawes Rolls, Plecker's letters, birth certificates that were changed, legislative text. Let the audience see the actual documents.
- Living testimony — Interviews with people today who are discovering their Indigenous ancestry through DNA testing, family research, and tribal oral histories. The personal is where the anger lives.
- Music as throughline — Use the artists (Hendrix, MJ, Brown, Patton, Khan) as the emotional architecture. Their music IS the evidence. The rhythms came from somewhere. Trace them back.
- Expert authority — Scholars like Jack Forbes, Kyle T. Mays, Tiya Miles, Dina Gilio-Whitaker providing the academic backbone.
- Cinematic reconstruction — Dramatic recreations of key moments: a census enumerator looking at a family and writing "Colored." A Dawes commissioner separating a family onto different rolls. Walter Plecker writing his letters. These are the scenes that make audiences feel the violence.
Feature documentary (90-110 minutes) for theatrical and streaming, with potential for a limited series expansion (4-6 episodes) for deeper platform deal. The series format allows you to dedicate full episodes to specific mechanisms of erasure, specific artists, specific communities. Netflix, Hulu, and HBO are all actively acquiring this format.
The Audience
Primary Audiences
1. African American Community (47.9M)
This is the core audience. Genetic studies show the average African American genome carries ~0.8% Native American ancestry, with over 5% of African Americans carrying 2%+ Native American DNA. But the real number is in family oral histories — millions of Black families carry stories of "Cherokee grandmother" or "Choctaw great-grandfather." This film validates those stories and explains why the documentation was destroyed.
Media habits: 81+ hours/week with media (highest of any demographic). 45.9% of TV time on streaming. 73% use three or more streaming services. This audience is reachable.
2. Native American / Indigenous Community (6.79M)
61% identify as multiracial. 77% increase in multiracial Native identification between 2000-2018. This community is in the middle of an identity reckoning — who counts as Native, who was excluded, how to reconcile blood quantum with genetic and cultural reality. This film speaks directly to that conversation.
3. Social Justice Audience
Social-issue documentaries account for 29% of global documentary releases. The social justice documentary market has seen 33% growth in demand. This is a proven, growing, engaged audience.
4. Music Fans (THE MULTIPLIER)
This is what separates this project from every other identity-erasure documentary. Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, and James Brown are three of the most famous human beings who ever lived. Their combined fan bases number in the hundreds of millions globally. Every music fan who sees this film's premise — "the Indigenous roots of Hendrix, MJ, and Brown that were erased" — is a potential viewer. Music documentaries consistently outperform standard docs at the box office and in streaming.
5. Gen Z / Millennials
43% prefer YouTube and TikTok to traditional streaming. 56% watch content after hearing about it from a creator. 90% Gen Z penetration on YouTube. This audience discovers via social media, not trailers. The pre-release social campaign is how you reach them.
6. International Audiences
North America represents 46% of the global documentary market, but the themes are universal. Colonial racial classification exists in the UK, Brazil, Caribbean, South Africa, Australia. The music icons are globally recognized. International sales can represent 30-50% of total revenue.
7. Academic / Educational Market
2,500+ institutions on Kanopy alone. HBCUs, tribal colleges, universities with African American Studies, Native American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Music History programs. This film fills a curriculum gap. Educational distribution can generate $100K-$1M+ over 3-5 years.
Box Office Comparables
| Film | Year | Budget | Box Office / Deal | Key Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinners (Coogler) | 2025 | $90-100M | $369M WW | 97% RT, biggest original debut since Us |
| Summer of Soul (Questlove) | 2021 | Undisclosed | $12M+ acquisition | Biggest doc sale in Sundance history at time. Oscar winner. |
| Won't You Be My Neighbor? | 2018 | Undisclosed | $22.6M domestic | Top-grossing biodoc ever at time |
| RBG | 2018 | Undisclosed | $14.4M WW | CNN Films → Netflix pipeline |
| I Am Not Your Negro | 2017 | Undisclosed | $8.3M WW | Oscar nom, one of highest-grossing docs ever |
| 13th (Ava DuVernay) | 2016 | Undisclosed | Netflix — millions viewed | 4,665% surge during 2020 protests |
| Rumble | 2017 | Undisclosed | $223K theatrical | Sundance jury award, PBS, Netflix, wide streaming |
| Super Size Me | 2004 | $65K | $22M | 338x ROI — doc profitability benchmark |
Your film sits at the intersection of I Am Not Your Negro (racial justice doc with massive cultural impact) and Rumble (Indigenous music erasure) with the audience multiplier of Summer of Soul (music-driven crossover). No existing film occupies this exact position. The gap in the market is real.
The Budget
Industry data (2023 IDFA Forum): average North American documentary budget is $900K. Global average: $416K-$640K.
| Tier | Budget Range | What You Get | Distribution Path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | $200K - $500K | Lean crew, limited travel, public domain archival, festival circuit | PBS → educational → streaming (Gather, Reel Injun model) |
| Low | $500K - $1M | Full crew, licensed archival, expert interviews, music clearances, festival premiere quality | Major festival → theatrical → streaming hybrid (Rumble model) |
| Mid | $1M - $3M | Cinematic production, dramatic reconstructions, full archival licensing, original score, impact campaign | Sundance premiere → bidding war → major streaming deal (Summer of Soul model) |
| High | $3M - $5M+ | Series format (4-6 episodes), premium production, marquee talent narration, global crew | Direct streaming commission (Netflix/HBO/Apple) or prestige acquisition |
Target the $750K - $1.5M range. This gives you enough for licensed archival footage (critical — you need the Hendrix footage, the MJ footage, the census documents), quality dramatic reconstructions, expert interviews, and a production value that says "Sundance premiere." The music angle justifies the higher budget because it also dramatically increases the revenue ceiling.
Funding Roadmap
Step 1: Secure Fiscal Sponsorship (Immediate)
Before applying to major grants, secure fiscal sponsorship through a 501(c)(3) organization. This unlocks foundation funding that requires nonprofit status.
| Organization | Focus | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Film Independent | Broad film support | LA-based, rolling applications |
| IDA (International Documentary Association) | Documentary-specific | Best industry connections for docs |
| Fractured Atlas | Arts (broader) | Faster approval process |
Step 2: Grant Applications (Stacked by Phase)
Development Phase Grants ($10K - $50K each)
| Grant | Amount | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catapult Film Fund Research Grant | $10,000 | Feb 2, 2026 | JUST PASSED |
| NACF SHIFT Grant | TBD | Mar 15, 2026 | APPLY NOW |
| ITVS Diversity Development Fund | Up to $35,000 | TBD 2026 | WATCH |
| Catapult Development Grant | $5,000 - $25,000 | Rolling | OPEN |
| Sundance Documentary Fund | $10,000 - $75,000 | Rolling (4x/year) | OPEN |
Production Phase Grants ($25K - $200K each)
| Grant | Amount | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Foundation JustFilms | $100,000 - $200,000 | TBD (annual open call) | WATCH |
| MacArthur Foundation | $100,000 - $140,000 | Nov 1 - Dec 2, 2026 | PREP NOW |
| Vision Maker Media Production | Up to $150,000 | Rolling (check status) | CPB FUNDING CUT |
| Firelight Media Documentary Lab | $25,000 + fellowship | Fall 2026 (for 2027 cohort) | WATCH |
| TFI Documentary Fund | $25,000 - $50,000 | TBD 2026 | WATCH |
Step 3: State Tax Incentives
| State | Credit | Cap | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 30% (20% base + 10% logo) | NO CAP | Best option. Transferable credits. Heart of former Creek/Cherokee territory = thematically perfect filming location. |
| New Mexico | Up to 40% | $130M | Strong Indigenous community, beautiful landscapes |
| Louisiana | Up to ~40% | $125M | Deep South, Choctaw territory |
Step 4: Crowdfunding
Seed&Spark — 75% success rate (vs. 39% Kickstarter), 0% platform fee, 80% funding threshold (keep funds at 80% of goal), film-specific community. Average raised: $14,470. Projects with 1,000+ followers get distribution to iTunes, Comcast, Netflix, Hulu. Launch crowdfunding tied to festival acceptance for maximum momentum.
Step 5: Private Investment (Jared)
Private investment bridges the gap between grants and total budget. With stacked grants potentially covering $200K-$400K and tax incentives recovering 30% of production spend, private investment of $300K-$700K (depending on target budget tier) completes the funding. This positions the investor for first-dollar returns from distribution deals, with grants as non-recoupable capital that reduces risk.
Production Timeline
Secure fiscal sponsorship. Submit to NACF SHIFT Grant (Mar 15), Sundance Documentary Fund (rolling). Hire researcher for archival deep-dive. Begin expert outreach (scholars, tribal historians). Lock treatment and pitch deck. Identify key interview subjects. Begin social media accounts and content strategy.
Submit to Ford Foundation (when open call launches), MacArthur (Nov deadline prep). Secure archival footage licenses. Lock interview subjects and locations. Hire key crew (DP, editor, producer). Scout locations in Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Virginia. Submit to Sundance 2027 (Jul-Aug window). Launch Seed&Spark campaign. Begin pre-interviews and B-roll shooting.
Principal photography: expert interviews, community stories, archival shoots, dramatic reconstructions. Shoot in Georgia (30% tax credit). Weekly social media content from production. Submit to Tribeca 2027, SXSW 2027, Hot Docs 2027. Apply for Georgia production tax credit.
Edit, color, sound design, original score, music licensing, graphics/animation. Rough cut screenings with advisors. Submit to TIFF 2027, Venice 2027, imagineNATIVE 2027, BlackStar 2027. Engage sales agent (Dogwoof, Cinephil). Build impact campaign partnerships.
World premiere at major festival. Sales agent shops to streaming platforms. Press blitz across entertainment, news, social justice, and music media. 50M+ social media impressions target during premiere window.
Theatrical release (limited, 2-10 cities, expand based on performance). Streaming platform deal closes. Educational distribution launches (Kanopy, Swank). PBS broadcast. International sales. Community screening tour (HBCUs, tribal nations, churches). Impact campaign activates. Awards campaign begins.
Festival Strategy
Tier 1: World Premiere Targets (Pick ONE)
| Festival | When | Submit By | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance 2028 | Jan 2028 | Jul-Aug 2027 | Top prestige. Distribution deals happen HERE. Summer of Soul's $12M deal was at Sundance. |
| TIFF 2027 | Sep 2027 | Spring 2027 | Second-tier premiere if Sundance doesn't select. International visibility. |
| Tribeca 2027 | Jun 2027 | Fall 2026 | NYC platform, strong documentary program. |
Tier 2: Identity & Culture Festivals (Submit to ALL)
| Festival | When | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| imagineNATIVE (Toronto) | Jun 2027 | $5 CAD | THE premier Indigenous film festival. Perfect alignment. |
| BlackStar (Philadelphia) | Aug 2027 | $25-45 | Celebrates Black, Brown, Indigenous creatives. Direct audience. |
| Pan African Film Festival (LA) | Feb 2028 | Varies | African diaspora stories. Black Indigenous narrative fits perfectly. |
| Urbanworld (NYC) | Nov 2027 | Varies | Multicultural content platform. |
Tier 3: Documentary Prestige Festivals
| Festival | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Docs (Toronto) | Apr-May 2027 | North America's largest doc festival |
| Full Frame (Durham, NC) | Spring 2027 | Prestigious doc-only festival, Southern location = thematic fit |
| AFI Fest (Hollywood) | Oct 2027 | Industry exposure, awards launchpad |
| Venice | Sep 2027 | International prestige, world stage |
| Telluride | Sep 2027 | Elite festival, Oscar campaign launcher |
Distribution
The Pipeline: Festival → Acquisition → Everywhere
1. Theatrical (Limited → Platform Expansion)
Open in 2-10 cities: NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, DC, Detroit, Oakland, Houston. These are markets with the largest Black and Indigenous populations. Target $650-$865 per-screen average. Expand based on performance. Theatrical is now primarily a marketing tool that creates press buzz and credibility for the streaming deal.
2. Streaming Platforms (Primary Revenue)
| Platform | Why | Recent Comparable |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Largest global reach, history with social justice docs (13th) | 13th, Ibelin, Skywalkers |
| Hulu | Summer of Soul landed here. Strong doc audience. | Summer of Soul (+390% post-Oscar surge) |
| Apple TV+ | Prestige positioning, strong doc acquisitions | Girls' State, Killers of the Flower Moon |
| HBO/Max | HBO Documentary Films is a prestige brand | Exterminate All the Brutes, The Synanon Fix |
| Amazon Prime | $9B content budget, expanding doc acquisitions | Growing doc slate |
3. Broadcast Television
PBS POV / Independent Lens — Rumble, Reel Injun, and Imagining the Indian all aired on PBS Independent Lens. This is the proven path for Indigenous documentary. Also target: BBC Storyville (UK), Al Jazeera, ARTE (France/Germany).
4. Educational Distribution (Long-Tail Revenue)
Kanopy serves 2,500+ institutions globally. $150/institution/year, 55% to licensor, 3-year terms. Realistic revenue: $100K-$500K over 3 years. High performer potential: $1M+. Target: HBCUs (100+ institutions), tribal colleges, universities with relevant programs.
5. International Sales
Engage a sales agent: Dogwoof (world's leading non-fiction sales agent), Cinephil, or Autlook. Commission: 20-30%. International sales can represent 30-50% of total revenue. Target: UK, Canada, Brazil, Caribbean, Europe, Africa.
6. Community Screenings
HBCUs, tribal nations, churches, community centers. 1,000 screenings x $300 average = $300K + massive grassroots marketing. This is how you build a movement, not just an audience.
Social Media Strategy
Sinners generated 90% of shares from TikTok, a 217% response rate on TikTok (vs. 42% on Instagram), 77.1M video views, and 152K shares. Casual, native content dramatically outperformed polished trailers. Result: $369M worldwide.
Platform Strategy
TikTok (Primary Discovery)
- Micro-documentaries (60-90 second educational clips) — "Did you know Jimi Hendrix was Cherokee?" format
- Street interviews with Black and Indigenous communities about identity
- "Family stories" series — people sharing oral histories of mixed Black-Indigenous heritage
- Behind-the-scenes production content (raw, not polished)
- UGC campaign: #BlackIndigenousStories — encourage people to share their family histories
- 2026 algorithm favors long-form (60+ seconds) with high retention. Micro-documentaries trending.
YouTube (Depth + Discovery)
- Mini-documentaries (5-15 min) released monthly leading up to the film
- Partner with educational/history creators (90% Gen Z penetration, 78% daily engagement)
- 44% of Gen Z watches educational content on YouTube
Instagram (Community Building)
- Behind-the-scenes, cast/interview subject features, archival image reveals
- TikTok drives reach; Instagram drives loyalty and community
X/Twitter (Discourse Engine)
- Engage scholars, activists, thought leaders
- Critical for social justice documentary — drives media coverage
Pre-Release Targets
Financial Projections
Scenario A: Conservative
Festival selection but no major award. Solid streaming deal. Steady educational pickup.
| Revenue Stream | Amount |
|---|---|
| Theatrical (limited) | $500K - $1M |
| Streaming acquisition (one platform) | $500K - $2M |
| Educational (Kanopy/Swank, 3yr) | $100K - $200K |
| Community screenings | $50K - $100K |
| International sales | $200K - $500K |
| TOTAL | $1.35M - $3.8M |
Scenario B: Moderate
Strong festival run. Music angle drives crossover. Competitive streaming interest.
| Revenue Stream | Amount |
|---|---|
| Theatrical (expanded platform) | $1M - $3M |
| Streaming acquisition (bidding) | $2M - $5M |
| Educational | $250K - $500K |
| Community screenings | $150K - $300K |
| International sales | $500K - $1M |
| Broadcast (PBS + international) | $200K - $500K |
| TOTAL | $4.1M - $10.3M |
Scenario C: Optimistic (Festival Buzz + Awards)
Sundance or TIFF premiere. Major award(s). Bidding war. Summer of Soul trajectory.
| Revenue Stream | Amount |
|---|---|
| Theatrical (wide platform, music crossover) | $5M - $10M |
| Streaming acquisition (Netflix/Apple war) | $10M - $20M |
| Educational (curriculum standard) | $500K - $1M |
| Community screenings | $300K - $500K |
| International sales | $1M - $2M |
| Broadcast | $500K - $1M |
| Merchandise / Soundtrack | $200K - $500K |
| TOTAL | $17.5M - $35M |
On a $1M budget: Conservative scenario returns 1.3x - 3.8x. Moderate returns 4x - 10x. Optimistic returns 17x - 35x. With grants covering $200K-$400K of the budget (non-recoupable), the private investment risk is on $600K-$800K, improving all return multiples significantly. The music angle is what makes this a high-ceiling investment rather than a standard documentary play.
Impact Campaign
The most successful social justice documentaries are not just films — they are campaigns. 13th changed how America discusses mass incarceration. An Inconvenient Truth changed climate policy. This film can change how America understands racial identity.
Impact Partners
- Working Films — 25 years leading media-for-change campaigns. Connects films with community organizers.
- Picture Motion — Impact strategy and campaign execution for social justice films.
Concrete Impact Goals
- Tribal Enrollment Reform — Campaign to recognize Black-Indigenous people excluded from tribal rolls by Dawes-era reclassification. Partner with Cherokee Freedmen advocates and similar movements.
- Census Reform — Advocate for better multiracial identification options and historical acknowledgment of reclassification in Census methodology.
- Educational Curriculum — Get this film (or companion educational materials) into African American Studies, Native American Studies, and U.S. History curricula nationwide.
- Genealogy Partnerships — Work with Ancestry.com, 23andMe, FamilySearch to help people discover and document suppressed Indigenous heritage. Create a companion tool or campaign.
- Museum & Archive Partnerships — Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of African American History and Culture, state archives. Push for exhibits and archival corrections.
Impact campaigns don't just create social change — they drive distribution deals. Streaming platforms want films with built-in movements. Press coverage expands beyond entertainment media into news, policy, and education. Community screenings generate revenue AND word-of-mouth. The impact strategy is the marketing strategy.
Key Scholars & Sources
Essential Interview Targets
Jack Forbes (1934-2011)
Author of Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the Evolution of Red-Black Peoples (1993). The foundational academic text on how colonial racial categories were used to separate African and Indigenous peoples. His work is the intellectual bedrock of this film. Use archival footage of Forbes if available; interview his students and academic heirs.
Kyle T. Mays
Author of An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States. UCLA professor. Works specifically at the intersection of Black and Indigenous studies. Essential interview subject.
Tiya Miles
Harvard historian, MacArthur Fellow. Author of Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom and The House on Diamond Hill. Specializes in African American and Native American intersections.
Dina Gilio-Whitaker
Author of As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice. Cahuilla/Colville researcher who works on Indigenous identity and sovereignty.
Alaina E. Roberts
Author of I've Been Here All Along: Black Freedom on Native Land. University of Pittsburgh historian specializing in Black-Indigenous relations in Indian Territory.
Claudio Saunt
Author of Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory. Provides the land-theft dimension of the erasure.
Key Academic Sources
- Forbes, Jack D. Africans and Native Americans (1993)
- Mays, Kyle T. An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States (2021)
- Miles, Tiya. Ties That Bind (2005)
- Roberts, Alaina E. I've Been Here All Along (2021)
- Brooks, James F. Confounding the Color Line (2002)
- Katz, William Loren. Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage (1986)
- Saunt, Claudio. Black, White, and Indian (2005)
- Naylor, Celia. African Cherokees in Indian Territory (2008)
Genetic Research
- Average African American genome: ~0.8% Native American ancestry
- Over 5% of African Americans carry at least 2% Native American DNA
- African Americans in the West and Southwest carry higher levels of Native American ancestry
- Eastern tribes are the major source of Native intermixture in Black communities
- Source: Bryc et al., "The Genetic Ancestry of African Americans, Latinos, and European Americans across the United States" (PMC, 2015)
Film & Media References
- Sinners (Ryan Coogler, 2025) — $369M WW, proof of market for deep Black Southern identity stories
- Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017) — Closest existing comparable
- 13th (Ava DuVernay, 2016) — Model for social justice doc with massive cultural impact
- Summer of Soul (Questlove, 2021) — Model for music-driven doc acquisition ($12M+)
- I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck, 2017) — Model for intellectual/literary doc with box office legs
- Reel Injun (2009) — Hollywood's role in erasing Indigenous identity
- Exterminate All the Brutes (Raoul Peck, HBO, 2021) — Model for hybrid doc/dramatic series
- Miles Caton — "I Lied to You" — Contemporary artistic expression of systemic deception and identity theft
This Story Has Never Been Told at Scale.
The audience exists. The market data proves it. The funding pathways are real. The scholars are alive and ready to speak. The archives contain the evidence. The only thing missing is the film.
Let's make it.