Joanelle Romero

Joanelle Romero is an actress, award-winning director, producer and distributor of independent film. To date, she is the only Native filmmaker to be short-listed for an Academy Award in the Documentary Short Branch for her film American Holocaust: When Its All Over I'll Still Be Indian. At age 18, Joanelle was cast in her first leading role in the CBS television movie The Girl Called Hatter Fox (1977). That film marked the first time a Native actress carried a leading role in a contemporary movie. She went on to study at Lee Strasberg Actors Studio in Hollywood. She is founder, president CEO of Red Nation Celebration Institute, Red Nation International Film Festival, Native Women in FILM & Television, Red Nation Television Network. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. Joanelle is a descendant of Mescalero-Chiricahua Apache, Dinétah, Paiute, Pawnee and SpanishSephardic. A relative of Pojoaque, Southern Ute, Lakota and Haudenosaunee. Joanelle's father was born on the Jicarilla Reservation and her great-grandmother from her mother's father side was born on the Mescalero Reservation. She has two adult children, graduates of Yale University and Berklee College of Music. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the first of three children, mother Rita Rogers and father Robert Romero. Joanelle grew up in to the entertainment industry. At age 3, she acted with her mother and grandfather in plays in New Mexico. In the 60's, Joanelle's mother was signed to Universal Studios and was in nine Elvis Presley films. At age 9, Joanelle used to go to the set on MGM Lot with her mother and hang out with Elvis and Nancy Sinatra, where she learned her love for filmmaking. As a young girl at age 12, Dennis Hopper became her 'legal guardian' in order for her to live at the Mable Dodge Luhan home, which Dennis Hopper owned at the time, Joanelle continued living with him throughout her teen years. Joanelle and Leonard Cohen (poet) began dating in her early 20's and later lived together. Leonard went on to produce Joanelle's first recordings at A & M Records. Joanelle was the first artist that Leonard Cohen produced.