Story may be the key to Native American cinema's further success, and while there may be more Native filmmakers now than ever before, they're still struggling to make their mark, secure financing and convince distributors there is a market for their work.

Those were among points raised Wednesday during a panel talk, "Producing Films in Today's Ever-Changing Marketplace," hosted by the Sundance Institute's Native American and Indigenous Program.

Part of the two-day Native Producers Workshop held in Santa Fe, the event drew about 30 participants — mostly Native producers, directors, writers and actors. Moderated by Keri Putnam, executive director for Sundance, it included a question-and-answer period with guests panelists Heather Rae (producer, Frozen River), Chad Burris (producer of the short Shimasani and Mosquita y Mari), and Cara Marcous (producer of the short film Sikumi).

All three spoke of their early inspirations, which revolved around the power of storytelling, whether it was via film or television or the spoken word.

Burris got a laugh when he said that, if left to his own devices, he'd just as soon make a big super-hero movie. Mosquita y Mari, shot in east Los Angeles, is director-writer Aurora Guerrero's story of two teen immigrant Latinas trying to find their place in the world while struggling with their growing attraction for one another.

Marcous — who recalled with some amusement carrying a gun to fend off polar bears while overseeing production of Andrew Okpeaha MacLean's Sikumi in the Arctic — said Native filmmakers can work to "grow the audience and have it coalesce into an audience that spends money" to attract financing.

"A huge obstacle is convincing distributors that a film with an all-Native cast is financially viable," she said.

Rae — whose production of Courtney Hunt's 2008 narrative feature Frozen River gained critical and commercial attention as it depicted the unspoken pact of friendship and survival formed by two women from different cultures — was more optimistic. "I feel there is a lot going on," Rae said. "It's an exciting time." But, she said, Native filmmakers don't have "a large enough body of work to show relevance to the market place."

Actress Jill Momaday told the assemblage that she thought Native filmmakers need to attain relevance by focusing on story — "the universality of the human condition and how it relates."

Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo — who developed the script for his film Four Sheets to the Wind at one of Sundance's filmmaker labs — echoed Momaday's thoughts but said that the films still have to present a unique hook.

"Native filmmakers are in a terrific place: It's easy for them to create a world that 90 percent of the audience has never been to," he said. "But, at the same time, they recognize themselves in it."

The workshop continues Thursday with discussions on creative fundraising, casting Native Americans and shooting films on Native lands.

Contact Robert Nott at 986-3021 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com.