Directed by Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation)

 

In a year filled with powerful and often heavy Indigenous stories, Loren Waters’ twenty-minute documentary Tiger arrives as a reminder of joy, renewal, and intergenerational strength. The film follows Dana Tiger, renowned Muscogee Creek artist and daughter of the late Johnny Tiger Jr., whose vibrant images celebrating Indigenous women once appeared on T-shirts at powwows across the continent. When personal tragedy caused the family’s art business to close, it seemed the Tiger legacy might quietly fade.

Dana, now in her sixties, chose a different path. Refusing to let grief be the final chapter, she reopened the family studio in 2024 with the support of her daughters, nieces and grandchildren. Waters, a Cherokee filmmaker and former writer for Reservation Dogs, captures this revival with warmth and intimacy. Her lens lingers on hands mixing paint, the steady rhythm of the silkscreen press coming back to life, Elders smiling as they rediscover beloved designs from decades past. Archival footage of 1980s powwows blends with new animation that brings Dana’s iconic warrior women to life in bold colour and movement.

The film honours the pain that shaped the Tiger family, yet it never lets sorrow overshadow possibility. Tiger is ultimately a story about what comes after loss. It shows how art becomes medicine, how family becomes foundation and how one Muscogee woman ensures that her father’s artistic vision and her Nation’s visibility continue to shine.

At its Sundance 2025 premiere, the documentary received a standing ovation along with the Special Jury Award for Directing. Audience members left uplifted.

In just twenty minutes, Waters and the Tiger family offer a gentle but powerful reminder that Indigenous futures are built through creativity, kinship and the courage to begin again.

Tiger is touring with the 2025-2026 Sundance Indigenous Short Film Program and will be available later this year on Kanopy and additional platforms. It is well worth watching. It leaves viewers lighter and proud of the beauty that emerges when Indigenous art and resilience come together.