Zahn McClarnon will receive the 2026 Visionary Award from the Santa Fe International Film Festival, honoring more than three decades of work as an actor and his growing role as a producer and director.
McClarnon is one of the most recognizable Native actors working in television, building a career across crime dramas, westerns, science fiction, horror, and contemporary Native stories. His recent work on AMC’s Dark Winds has given him his most prominent leading role and the opportunity to take on greater creative control behind the camera.
McClarnon stars as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in Dark Winds, based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels. Set in the 1970s Southwest, the series follows Leaphorn alongside rookie deputy Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) as they investigate a series of crimes on the reservation.
The role has allowed McClarnon to lead a series centered on Native characters and communities while working with an ensemble that includes Indigenous actors and filmmakers. The production is also closely tied to New Mexico. The series is filmed around Santa Fe and the surrounding region, and its fifth season recently wrapped production.
McClarnon serves as an executive producer on Dark Winds and directed the second episode of its fourth season, marking his television directing debut. The festival will screen the episode following his award presentation and a conversation with filmmaker Chris Eyre.
Directing represents a new stage in a career that has already included some of television’s most distinctive Native characters. McClarnon played Officer Mathias on Longmire, Hanzee Dent during the second season of FX’s Fargo, and Akecheta on HBO’s Westworld. His performance as Hanzee earned critical attention from publications including The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Wall Street Journal.
He later joined the cast of Reservation Dogs as Officer Big. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the FX series centered Native teens and their community in rural Oklahoma. McClarnon was part of the ensemble that received the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series.
Roles like these have helped broaden the kinds of characters Native performers can play on mainstream television. McClarnon’s career hasn’t been confined to stories specifically about Native life, nor has his identity been treated as a substitute for character development. His recent work behind the camera adds another dimension to that career.
Santa Fe is an appropriate setting for the recognition. The festival has previously honored Native artists including Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo, and its programming includes dedicated Indigenous categories. McClarnon’s award comes at a time when Native artists are increasingly working across the filmmaking process, from acting and writing to directing and producing.
The Visionary Award ceremony will take place October 16 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. McClarnon will then join Eyre for a conversation before the screening of his Dark Winds episode.
For an actor whose career spans more than 30 years, the honor recognizes both the work that established McClarnon as a major Native presence on screen and the creative path he’s now pursuing behind it.
For tickets to the Visionary Award Presentation and more information about the Santa Fe International Film Festival, please visit https://santafe.film/
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