Choctaw filmmaker Kyle Kauwika Harris premieres "The Huntsman" in theaters

(TVLSE, Okla.) A film directed by Kyle Kauwika Harris, a Choctaw Nation citizen who is also of Hawaiian descent, premieres in theaters tonight, with a video-on-demand release set for February 10.

The Huntsman, a whodunnit crime thriller featuring actors Shawn Ashmore, Elizabeth Mitchell, Jessy Schram, Brent Bailey and Garret Dillahunt, was filmed on location in Oklahoma.

After over a decade of writing, directing and producing, Harris has carved out a place for himself in Oklahoma’s film industry . An award-winning screenwriter and director with one feature-length documentary and three films to his credit, Harris’ work has taken him from Standing Rock to communities across Oklahoma.

Harris served in the U.S. Navy for four years, then spent seven more in public relations for the Delaware Nation before his career took a major turn toward filmmaking. 

He first gained national attention with I Stand: The Guardians of the Water (2017), a Heartland Emmy award-winning documentary that followed the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. That project helped establish Harris as a filmmaker willing to center Indigenous stories.

“I always try to include Native elements in my stories: characters, themes, places,” Harris said. “That’s how I approach it. I just try to write characters that feel real.”

Harris has written more than 30 screenplays. As is common in the film industry,  most of these projects have been shelved, though Harris remains optimistic that they will eventually come to fruition.

“A lot of times in Hollywood, they’ll option your script, sit on it, and it never gets made,” Harris said. “Or it gets rewritten so many times that it’s not your voice anymore. I got tired of that. I’d rather hold onto those projects until I can make them myself.”

Harris’ career has been defined by a balance between independence and industry collaboration. His feature film Reverence (2025) marked a turning point in his approach to filmmaking.

“Reverence taught me that you don’t need inflated, multi-million dollar budgets to make a high-quality film,” Harris said. “You can make a movie for $200,000 if you design it the right way and hire the right crew, choose the right locations and think through every decision with the budget in mind.”

Oklahoma’s film industry incentives and eager workforce have been a big draw for Harris. Though represented by Independent Artist Group in Los Angeles and active in Hollywood, he has based much of his creative output in Oklahoma. 

“This is authentic to me,” he said. “I know the geography. I know the people. Oklahoma has some of the best film incentives in the country and incredible crews. It just makes sense to build here.”

Originally planned for a different setting, Reverence was ultimately shot in Chandler, Oklahoma. The new setting fed Harris’ creative process.

“The entire town bought into the idea of the film,” he said. “People weren’t charging us for locations; they were helping us. That’s how you get movies made when you don’t have massive resources.”

Unlike many of his previous projects, Harris did not write The Huntsman, which is based on the novel of the same name by Judith Sanders. Bringing another writer’s work to life provided a new challenge for Harris.“It was something different for me,” he said. “What interested me wasn’t the serial killer aspect as much as the tone, the mystery, the cinematography, the music. Everyone’s a suspect until they’re not.”

Like Reverence, Harris reimagined The Huntsman’s setting, moving it from the Northeast (where the book is set) to Oklahoma. This move allowed the production to again rely on the state’s experienced crews and community support.

Beyond  setting his films in Oklahoma, Harris is establishing industry roots with  Territory Standard Productions. The Oklahoma City-based production company will focus on character-driven crime and thriller films. Harris hopes to continue to build relationships with film crews, investors and local actors, allowing Territory Standard Productions to serve as a model for independent filmmakers. He wants to support filmmakers as they move from script to screen with a realistic budget that coordinates early collaborations with investors and local talent.

Harris says the industry remains difficult for Indigenous filmmakers, but he is optimistic.

“I hope it gets easier for Native filmmakers to make films,” he said. “There are a lot of talented Native actors, writers and directors out there who are struggling. We need more education, more support, and more people willing to help each other out.”

As Reverence continues streaming and The Huntsman premieres in theatres, Harris is already thinking about the future.

“I’m excited to get back on set,” he said. “I just want to keep making films.”

For showtimes at Circle Cinema, click here.