**Breakwater Studios** -*Desert Hotspot* - McDonalds

With internet access limited, a promising student turns to an unexpected lifeline for her dreams: the Wi-Fi at McDonald’s

**Pocket Pictures** - *The Trails Before Us* - Specialized Bicycles

THE TRAILS BEFORE US follows 17-year-old Nigel James, a Diné mountain biker, as he hosts the first Enduro race in the Navajo Nation. Through revitalizing livestock and wildlife trails on his grandparents’ land, Nigel and a new generation of riders honor the connection to their land, community, and culture.
Selected Accolades

**Voyager TV** - *Through The Storm* - Nike, NFL

"Through the Storm" follows the 2023 season of the Red Lake Nation (Ojibwe) high school football team. Despite dwindling interest and a two-decade-long losing record, a determined coach and group of young athletes fight to keep their football program alive. An exploration in overcoming loss, the film follows the personal triumphs and hardships of the players and their families, and how football serves as a symbol of hope, unity, and resilience for the people of Red Lake.
Co-Directed with Charles Frank

Fritz Bitsoie is an Emmy nominated Diné filmmaker based in Los Angeles whose work bridges documentary realism with cinematic craft. His films have screened at prestigious festivals including SXSW, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, SFFILM, Seattle International Film Festival, Mountainfilm, and the Smithsonian’s Native Cinema Showcase, earning multiple awards for artistic vision.

His latest film, Desert Hotspot, marks his first collaboration with 2x Academy Award winning Breakwater Studios and will premiere at the AmDocs Film Festival this spring. His previous film, Through the Storm, made its broadcast debut on NFL Network and received a Sports Emmy nomination. The Trails Before Us toured nationally and further established his voice as a director committed to grounded, contemporary Indigenous storytelling.

Fritz serves as the Native Voices Indigenous Film Programmer at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, where he curates bold work from emerging and established Indigenous filmmakers. He has also served on the selection committee for ITVS and was a fellow of the 4th World Media Lab.

His directing work includes long term collaborations with the Washington State History Museum on a series of permanent gallery films centered on tribal sovereignty, land, and language. He has worked with companies including Breakwater Studios, Northshore Productions, Voyager, Nike, and Specialized Bicycles, bringing a sharp creative perspective to branded and institutional storytelling alike.

Across all projects, Fritz is focused on story first. Human, unsentimental, and built to last.

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