Phil Lucas (Choctaw) worked in film and television for over thirty years, producing over eighty works. He received an Emmy for his documentary series "The Native Americans" and the Taos Mountain Award for lifetime achievement from the Taos Talking Picture Festival in 199. Among the subjects that he covered were health and well-being in Native communities, Native rights, and Native arts. He began his teaching career at the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation in Seattle, and taught filmmaking workshops for young Native people at IAIA. He was the founder of the American Indian Film Festival at Bellevue Community College in Washington State, where he taught media communications and technology until his death in 2007.