DIRECTED BY LOREN WATERS
From a 1980s boom to 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.
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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.
Winner, Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing, Sundance Film Festival, 2025
Winner, Best Short Documentary Award, San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, 2025
Winner, Special Jury Award for Aesthetic Audacity, RiverRun International Film Festival 2025
winner, First Peoples Award, Mountainfilm Festival, 2025
winner, Special Jury Mention, Provincetown International Film Festival, 2025
winner, Best Short Documentary Award, Desertscape International Film Festival, 2025
winner, Best Short Documentary Award, Lighthouse International Film Festival, 2025
winner, Best Documentary Short Award, Circle Cinema Film Festival, 2025
winner, Indigenous Film and Culture Award, Windrider Summit at Sundance, 2025
winner, Best Cinematography, Mt. Gretna International Film Festival, 2025
Second Place, Dox Category, Mt. Gretna International Film Festival, 2025
nominee, Best Short Documentary Award, Blackstar Film Festival, 2025
nominee, Best Short Documentary, Snake Alley Festival of Film, 2025
Short List, Doc NYC, 2025
Awards:
Select FestivALS:
Sundance Film Festival, world premiere, 2025
Sundance Film Festival: CDMX, International premiere, 2025
DOC NYC Short List, New York City premiere, 2025
SXSW Film Festival, Texas premiere, 2025
Bolton International Film Festival, European premiere, 2025
Sundance Indigenous Program Shorts Tour, 2025
Melbourne International Film Festival, Australian premiere, 2025
Camden International Film Festival, Maine premiere, 2025
New Orleans Film Festival, Louisiana premiere, 2025
American Documentary and Animation Film Festival (Amdocs), California premiere, 2025
MountainFilm Festival, Colorado premiere, 2025
deadCenter Film Festival, Oklahoma premiere, 2025
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, 2025
Desertscape International Film Festival, 2025
RiverRun International Film Festival, 2025
Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Indiana premiere, 2025
Aspen Shortsfest, 2025
Miami Film Festival, Florida premiere, 2025
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2025
Dallas International Film Festival, 2025
Seattle International Film Festival, Washington premiere, 2025
ImagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival, Toronto premiere, 2025
Palm Springs International ShortFest, 2025
BlackStar Film Festival, Philadelphia premiere, 2025
Provincetown International Film Festival, 2025
Bentonville Film Festival, Arkansas premiere, 2025
Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival, Richmond premiere, 2025
HollyShorts Film Festival, Los Angeles premiere, 2025
Nashville Film Festival, Tennessee premiere, 2025
Bend Film Festival, Oregon premiere, 2025
Calgary International Film Festival, 2025
Hamptons International Film Festival, New York premiere, 2025
Edmonton International Film Festival, 2025
Vashon Island Film Festival, 2025
Film Independent Festival Vision Screening Series, 2025
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Native Cinema Showcase, 2025
Press:
Short of the week — SURVEYING THE OSCAR 2026 CONTENDERS: DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
INdiewire — SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL REVEALS 2025 SHORTS PROGRAM WITH 57 FILMS FROM 28 COUNTRIES
The hollywood reporter — SUNDANCE SHORT FILM SELECTION ‘FLOWERS STAND SILENTLY, WITNESSING’ WINS GRAND JURY PRIZE
The oklahoman — OKLAHOMA NATIVE AMERICAN SHORT DOCUMENTARY 'TIGER' TO PLAY SUNDANCE AND SXSW FESTIVALS
Sony — SONY FX6 HELPS DP ROBERT HUNTER BRING A NATIVE AMERICAN ICON TO LIGHT AT SUNDANCE
Tulsa World — TULSA FILMMAKER EARNS SUNDANCE AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY FILM ‘TIGER’
THe Oklahoman — OKLAHOMAN FILMMAKER LOREN WATERS WINS SUNDANCE FILM FEST AWARD FOR 'TIGER' DOCUMENTARY
THe UTah Review — SUNDANCE 2025: TWELVE SHORT FILMS THAT STOOD OUT FOR THE UTAH REVIEW THIS YEAR: COMEDY, HORROR, DOCUMENTARY, DRAMA, ANIMATION
HOrror Buzz — REVIEW: ‘TIGER’ – SUNDANCE 2025
Indian Country Today News — ‘TIGER’ DOCUMENTARY IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
KOSU | NPR — 2025 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL TO SHOWCASE KIOWA, CHEROKEE FILMMAKER'S SHORT DOCUMENTARY 'TIGER'
Film THReat — REVIEW: ‘TIGER’ AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2025
Native NEws ONline — SUNDANCE 2025 SHORT FILM LINEUP UNVEILED: INDIGENOUS STORIES SHINE AMONG 57 GLOBAL SELECTIONS
Cinema Femme — SUNDANCE 2025: LOREN WATERS ON “TIGER”
Tulsa People — FROM TULSA TO SUNDANCE: LOREN WATERS' DOCUMENTARY 'TIGER' WINS AT PRESTIGIOUS SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
Film Obsessive — SXSW 2025 SHORT FILM ROUND-UP: ANIMATION, DOCUMENTARY, & MIDNIGHT COMPETITIONS
Movie Blogger — TIGER (2025) SHORT FILM REVIEW
Luxiere — EYE OF THE TIGER: LOREN WATERS’ EXPERIMENTAL DOCUMENTARY TIGER AT ACCLAIMED FILM FESTIVALS