Indian Territory Film Fest - Nika & Madison

Indian Territory Film Festival returns to Circle Cinema on April 18, 2026 with an evening celebrating contemporary Indigenous Cinema. A program of short Indigenous-made films opens the event at 3 PM, followed by a reception at 5 PM and the Oklahoma Premiere of Eva Thomas’s Nika & Madison, a standout from 2025’s Toronto International Film Festival, at 7 PM. Q&As with the filmmakers follow both screenings.

Tickets sold separately, $7 for the short films and $7 for Nika & Madison. Nika & Madison tickets are available at this page. Click back to the film schedule or click the ticket hub link at the top of the page for Short Film tickets.

Nika & Madison - Sat 4/18, 7pm - Ticket includes pre-film reception and post-film zoom Q&A with filmmaker Eva Thomas

Trigger warning: police violence, sexual assault

Drama / Thriller

Run Time: 87 min.

In this tense and emotionally charged story, two childhood friends find themselves testing their resilience and loyalty in an ultimate fight for justice. Madison, a University of Toronto student, is sharp and career focused while Nika prefers the solitude and simplicity of

life on the reservation. During a weekend back home, Nika rescues Madison from a sexual assault by a policeman, but the violent encounter leaves the officer critically injured. Fearing they won’t be believed, the Indigenous women go on the run; first seeking refuge on the reserve and then deep into the wilderness, until they’re chased back to the city. Two sharp eyed detectives begin to uncover the truth, but when the case involves one of their own, the justice system reveals its deeply ingrained biases, blurring the lines between right and wrong.

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ITFF is generously sponsored by Choctaw Nation Cultural Center, Center for Poets and Writers, Cherokee Film, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy, Nevaquaya Fine Arts, Martin Scorcese Department of Cinema Studies, deadCenter Film Continuum and Allied Arts.

Indian Territory Film Festival is an official program of The Indian Territory Film Foundation. ITFF’s mission is to promote and celebrate Indigenous storytelling across all media. We foster not only past and present storytellers, but develop future storytellers through workshops and other training opportunities in order to share our culture, traditions and stories.