At 14, Q'orianka emerged into the front ranks of young actors with her portrayal of Pocahontas opposite Colin Farrell and Christian Bale in director Terrence Malick Academy Award-nominated motion picture, The New World (2005).
In 2010, Kilcher played Pinti in the family drama Shouting Secrets, a feature film by Korinna Sehringer, starring Chaske Spencer, Tyler Christopher, Tonantzin Carmelo, Gil Birmingham, Tantoo Cardinal and Rodney A. Grant.