Indigenous Filmmakers Series: Film Screening & Conversation with Loren Waters

Join the Film Studies Program for a film screening and conversation with Loren Waters, award-winning filmmaker and founder of Waters Media, as part of the Indigenous Filmmakers Series. We will screen Waters' film Tiger, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing. 

Tiger highlights Indigenous award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist and elder Dana Tiger, her family, and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger t-shirt company.

Dana Tiger was just five years old when her father, legendary Muscogee Creek artist Jerome Tiger, passed away. She turned to his art as a way to know him, the richness of her culture, and the bounty of her family’s artistic tradition.

In memory of Jerome's art and to support their family, Dana’s mother and uncle started a booming t-shirt printing business in the 1980s. Then, tragedy struck their family once more. Dana’s younger brother, Chris Tiger, was relentlessly murdered and their business was brought to a halt.

Dana and her family have been working for nearly 30 years to revitalize the iconic Tiger t-shirt company, through immense grief and suffering from Parkinson’s. Now, everybody wants their hands on a Tiger T-shirt.

Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa) is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of Waters Media, where her work spans directing, producing, and casting. Growing up in Oklahoma has shaped her cross-cultural storytelling, rooted in Indigenous experiences and community collaboration. She has been recognized on prestigious lists, including Forbes' "30 Under 30"  and Filmmaker Magazine’s "25 New Faces," and she currently serves as the Executive Director of the Lindy Waters III Foundation, where she is dedicated to serving Native youth and Indigenous communities.

Her work has been showcased at esteemed festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, and Hot Docs. Her Academy Award-qualifying short documentary film, Tiger, received the Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, along with multiple festival honors.

She has contributed to renowned films and television series, including The Lowdown, Reservation Dogs, and Fancy Dance, as the youngest Indigenous casting director in the industry. Her achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards such as the Princess Grace Film Honoraria Award, the New York Foundation of the Arts - Anonymous Was a Woman Environmental Art Grant, and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT Award.

In 2024, her short documentary, ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek), garnered significant acclaim, receiving First Place at the UBUNTU Climate Arts & Storytelling Showcase and recognition as a Best Mini-Doc Top 10 Finalist at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

Loren’s storytelling continues to shape a vibrant and inclusive future through her work.

Photo of Loren Waters by Ryan RedCorn.