“Filmmakers have the power to heal the past by telling their stories.” – Haile Gerima.

I started acting when I was five, in an industry where Native people were often shown in limited, stereotypical ways. At first, I took every role offered to me, not realizing I was sometimes reinforcing those stereotypes.

During a fashion shoot, I wore a Native headdress. I thought of it as art, but later understood the harm in taking sacred items out of their true context, even as a Native person. That moment changed how I looked at representation.

As I studied film and media, I saw how often Native stories were told without us. That awareness changed me. I came to filmmaking as a way to speak, resist, and reclaim…using the camera as a social tool to flip narratives, move hearts, and promote collective healing.

I write, produce, direct, and edit films centered on Native characters. Through collaborative visual storytelling, I advocate for our existence, weaving memory, identity, and truth to connect generations through our stories.

I believe stories can challenge and inspire change. My goal as a filmmaker, is to amplify Native voices, so we are seen in all our complexity and humanity.

Stories heal, especially the ones we dare to tell.