"This film was created out of the ‘Water is Life’ or the Standing Rock protests... We were asked to create a film [to] process all of the things we had learned about Indigenous people and media representation, what we’d like to say to them. As I gathered my thoughts and feelings regarding my own experiences and the current state of [the] portrayal of my identity, this visual piece was created."
Kawá, an Afro-Indigenous urban teen built for the city, struggles to navigate feelings of disconnection from her Native roots. Her mother, Elizabeth, is a Lakota language teacher and protector with a side of grumpiness. Their lives turn upside down when they relocate to Grandma's house.
Eyes is a 16mm experimental short film. The film required a lot more diligence due to having specific rules. The rules for this structural film were based on the height of the camera and pixelation. The theme of the film was surveillance. While creating this film, there was an increased police presence and as an Afro-Indigenous woman, it was probably one of the more horrifying experiences. I considered it extremely alarming so I focused on sound to create a soundscape that sounded similar to surveillance. My intended goal for the audience’s reaction was to feel the tension that is felt.
