Join us for an evening of short films featuring stories of Indigenous women by award-winning director and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa). We will be screening Tiger and ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek), which will be followed by a conversation with Waters.
Loren Waters is the founder of Waters Media, where her work spans directing, producing, and casting. 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.
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. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
She has contributed to renowned films and television series, including The Lowdown, Reservation Dogs, and Fancy Dance, working as the Extras Casting Director. Her achievements have been recognized with honors, including the 2026–2028 Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the Princess Grace Film Honoraria Award, the New York Foundation for the Arts – Anonymous Was a Woman Environmental Art Grant, and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT Award.
Tiger (2025). Director/Executive Producer/Producer Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa). 17 mins.
From a 1980s boom to a near collapse, Tiger chronicles Indigenous artist Dana Tiger’s decades-long journey of resilience, as she and her family transform grief and hardship into the revival of their iconic Tiger t-shirt.
ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek) (2024). Director/Producer Loren Waters. 9 mins.
This documentary tells a story of interconnectedness and Cherokee values through the lifelong fight of Rebecca Jim, a Cherokee Nation citizen and Waterkeeper Warrior, as she leads the effort to restore Tar Creek located in Miami, Oklahoma. U.S. government officials have designated Tar Creek as “irreversibly damaged,” but Rebecca refuses to accept that.
Screening presented by DocScapes.