In a discussion published by sundance.org for Native American Heritage Month, filmmakers Amanda Strong and Quinne Larsen explored how Indigenous artists merge cultural values with animation.
The Bottom Line
- Amanda Strong and Quinne Larsen discussed their approach to Indigenous storytelling and animation on a call hosted by sundance.org.
- Strong emphasized keeping industry egos out of Indigenous spaces and respecting traditional storytelling protocols.
- Larsen shared details about recent mixed-media projects for Adult Swim and upcoming work centered on intergenerational language dynamics.
Crossed Paths at Sundance
Community serves as the lifeblood of Indigeneity and acts as a main pillar of the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program. Featuring an alumni network of hundreds of Indigenous artists spanning over four decades, the program highlights the power of shared community. For Native American Heritage Month, sundance.org brought together two Indigenous animators: Amanda Strong, who is Métis, Cree, Chippewa, and Assiniboine, and Quinne Larsen, who is Chinook.
Strong participated in the 2020 Sundance Native Filmmakers Lab, while Larsen joined the 2023 Native Lab.
The pair first crossed paths at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival when their respective shorts played in the animation shorts block, according to sundance.org. Strong’s stop-motion film, Inkwo: For When The Starving Return, follows a protagonist named Dove confronting a consuming entity, drawing heavily on ancestral knowledge. Larsen’s short, Field Recording, functions as a love letter to the emotional journey of learning a native language.
Protecting Protocol in Stop-Motion
During their conversation hosted by sundance.org, Strong detailed her careful approach to assembling a team for specialized stop-motion projects. She said that while non-Indigenous artists join the crew due to the niche nature of the medium, strict boundaries remain necessary.
“If you’re coming in and you’re someone who has a lot of experience and is coming in from industry, your ego has to stay at the door. Don’t compare us to some other space because we’re operating with different values and different systems.”
said Amanda Strong, animator and 2020 Sundance Native Filmmakers Lab alum, to sundance.org.
The discussion also turned toward narrative boundaries and cultural taboos regarding what information belongs in a film. Strong explained that certain beings and words carry specific protocols, such as winter-only storytelling rules. Regarding the creatures featured in Inkwo, Strong said that the production chose to alter the film’s title and unname the entities entirely to avoid exploitation and respect traditional sensitivity.
It became this thing of the weight of that word and naming them and we chose to unname them. But also our approach was not to exploit this being either for the sake of entertainment, said Strong told sundance.org.
Challenging Western Structures
Both filmmakers addressed the friction between traditional Western narrative frameworks, such as linear three-act structures, and Indigenous storytelling methods. Strong said that nonlinear, time-bending oral traditions align more naturally with her creative instincts. Larsen agreed, pointing out that human history long predates conventional screenwriting manuals.
Reflecting on audience reception to Inkwo, Strong expressed surprise that some viewers focused on gender dynamics within the story. However, she emphasized that positive community responses overshadow negative ones. She highlighted instances where community members described the work as medicine or a reminder of old ways.
| Filmmaker | Tribal Affiliation | Sundance Lab Year | Featured Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amanda Strong | Métis, Cree, Chippewa, Assiniboine | 2020 | Inkwo: For When The Starving Return |
| Quinne Larsen | Chinook | 2023 | Field Recording |
Larsen Explores Language Loss Through Mixed-Media Animation
Shifting the conversation toward her current slate, Larsen outlined her recent work on a mixed-media short for Adult Swim completed in July, along with upcoming projects slated for completion in the spring. Larsen explained that these new shorts explore intergenerational dynamics surrounding language loss and the emotional experience of older family members answering Chinook queries in English.
“I feel like something I always say about language is when I learned it, it fixed something… [in Indigenous culture] we talk about [the] idea of nonlinear time – it sounds kind of crunchy, but I feel like when you learn language and can speak it, there’s something that gets knit back together.”
said Quinne Larsen, animator and 2023 Native Lab alum, to sundance.org.
Closing the conversation, Strong evaluated the current state of representation across different cinematic mediums. She observed that live-action filmmaking has improved its ability to fight studio systems, whereas animation offers an emerging sector where Indigenous artists continue pushing for ownership and distinct access points.
“I hope to see more of that and like keep pushing for that representation in animation specifically and like animated stories because again, like, even if you’re a director and I know of so many people who want work and are getting into animation for Indigenous stories, Indigenous producers, directors, animators, all of that,” said Strong told sundance.org.
