Meet Regina Dezbah Simons | Artist | Founder | Visual Storyteller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Regina Dezbah Simons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Regina Dezbah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I founded Dezbah Productions and Off The Rez Media to reclaim narrative space in film and media. I invite others to question what they have been taught about Native Americans and the Indigenous peoples of this land. I aim to create work that represents and resonates with truth, humor, discomfort, and healing. I am raising two kids and building a future that honors the past, present, and potential.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a Diné, Nakoda, Dakota woman, filmmaker, and mother, my work lives at the intersection of storytelling and reclamation. I create films that challenge erasure, undo stereotypes, and center Native lived experience, both the beauty and the complexity. My journey hasn’t been linear. I’ve balanced motherhood, community work, and a full-time job while pursuing my MFA and producing independent films on limited resources. But each challenge became part of the story I now tell.

I’m proud of projects like ‘Grey,’ which explore themes of identity, intergenerational trauma, and resilience. What sets my work apart is what is on screen and who is behind the camera. Someone who has lived these stories, carries ancestral memory, and believes representation must go beyond inclusion. It must be accurate, intentional, and sovereign.

I want the world to know that Native stories are not historical footnotes. We are present. We are evolving. Our stories deserve the full range of humanity and nuance.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting LA, we’d start things off at The Broad, because nothing sets the tone like immersive art and a room full of Yayoi Kusama mirrors. Then we’d walk across to Grand Central Market for lunch, people-watching, and whatever smells too good to pass up.

We’d hike to the Griffith Observatory for golden hour views and stop by Little Dom’s in Los Feliz for dinner. I love the vibe there. It’s warm, cinematic, and tucked away just enough. I’d skip the tourist traps for beach days and head to El Matador State Beach in Malibu. It’s moody and stunning, especially if you bring a blanket and stay until sunset.

We’d explore and catch an outdoor concert, screening, or performance. A drive along Topanga Canyon, stopping for vintage finds, is always grounding.

LA is layered, complicated, beautiful, and I love showing off its quieter, creative corners.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my parents, who spent over 25 years in higher education and modeled what it means to lead with purpose, resilience, and heart. They poured into their students and their communities, and that ripple carried into me. I also want to recognize my children, my greatest teachers, who remind me daily why storytelling matters. To my mentors, Native elders, and fellow filmmakers who lift as they climb, your wisdom and courage continue to shape how I move through the world and the stories I tell.

Website: https://reginasimons.com

Instagram: https://regina.simons

Other: business website: https://dezbahproductions.com