Anpa'o Locke

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.

The story follows a mother and daughter and their journey of understanding and reconnection through love and identity. I was raised primarily by Indigenous women (Mothers, Aunties, Grandmothers) and they shaped my creative process through the Lakota worldview and knowledge system.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 with a side of grumpiness. Their lives turn upside down when they embark on a road trip to relocate to a Lakota reservation and deal with the complexities of reservation life.