iD+Pi News
iD+Pi Podcast PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola Selected for the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Albuquerque, New Mexico — June 2026 — The Indigenous Design + Planning Institute (iD+Pi) at the University of New Mexico is honoured to announce that PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola and Diné Scientist Brandon Francis has been officially selected for the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
Produced by The Aunties Dandelion in collaboration with iD+Pi, the podcast episode is part of Season 2 of PlaceKnowing, an Indigenous-led audio series exploring land, community, environmental restoration, and culturally grounded planning practices. Season 2 was developed in partnership with the Intermountain West Transformation Network.
The selected episode examines the lasting impacts of the 2015 Gold King Mine spill disaster, where more than three million gallons of acidic mine waste entered the Animas River watershed, impacting lands and waters connected to the Navajo Nation and the broader San Juan River basin. Through conversations with Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientists, farmers, and community leaders, the series foregrounds Indigenous approaches to cultural resilience, ecological restoration, and long-term stewardship.
The episode features Diné scientist and farmer Brandon Francis of the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center in Farmington, whose family has stewarded corn in the Black Mesa region for generations.
“Every decision that you make as a researcher and as a scientist,” says Brandon Francis in the episode, “you have to analyze it in terms of how is this going to benefit people.”
Hosted by Dr. Ted Jojola, the series reflects decades of work advancing Indigenous planning and community-centered design methodologies.
“It’s important to understand that Indigenous people are very much attuned to place and home,” says Dr. Jojola. “The Gold King Mine spill disrupted the food and health of so many communities and in this series, we’re focusing on how Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are combining their skills to heal these lands and waters.”
The podcast selection reflects iD+Pi’s ongoing commitment to advancing Indigenous design and planning practices that are community-rooted, interdisciplinary, and responsive to the social, cultural, and environmental realities facing Indigenous peoples today.
The episode will be presented as part of the festival’s iNdigital Space + Arcade located at the TIFF Lightbox gallery space. The iNdigital Space, which features all audio works and digital interactive projects.
About Intermountain West Transformation Network
The Intermountain West Transformation Network (TN) is dedicated to fostering resilience in communities and ecosystems across the Western United States. Supported by the National Science Foundation’s Sustainable Regional Systems Program, the network brings together universities, Tribal partners, public agencies, and community organizations to advance regional sustainability through collaborative research and implementation.
About The Aunties Dandelion
The Aunties Dandelion is an Indigenous-led media organization focused on revitalizing communities through stories of the natural world, original languages, Indigenous art and lifeways, and connections with each other.
About imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
imagineNATIVE is the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous screen content and is internationally recognized for excellence and innovation in Indigenous media arts programming.
