Brit Hensel is an Oklahoma-based director and award-winning filmmaker whose work has been featured at Sundance, imagineNATIVE, Hot Docs, and Full Frame. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, she is the first female enrolled member of the tribe to direct a film selected by the Sundance Film Festival.
Her films explore themes of the environment, Indigenous women’s experiences, language, and her people’s deep ties to the lands of Oklahoma and North Carolina. In 2022, her short film ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) premiered at Sundance, was nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 38th IDA Documentary Awards, and was selected for the inaugural L.A. Times Op-Docs.
In 2021, Brit received four regional Emmy Awards for her work as a producer and director on the documentary series Osiyo: Voices of the Cherokee People. She also served as 2nd AC on the Emmy-nominated FX series Reservation Dogs and is set to premiere her latest film, Thin Places, co-starring Shelby Factor and Quannah Chasinghorse in 2025. Brit is currently in development for her first feature documentary film, What She Carries.
A former cultural specialist for the Cherokee Nation and a doula for Native women, Brit co-founded Rez Dog Resources, an advocacy collective supporting animal welfare and rescue efforts across Oklahoma’s tribal communities. In recognition of her impactful work, Brit was named 2022 Tulsan of the Year by Tulsa World Magazine and was awarded the 2021-2023 Tulsa Artist Fellowship.
Contact: brithenselfilm@gmail.com