Sterlin Harjo

Biography

Sterlin Harjo (born 14 November 1979) is a member of the Seminole Nation and has Muskogee heritage. He was raised in Holdenville, Oklahoma and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he studied art and film. He received a fellowship from the Sundance Institute in 2004. His short film, Goodnight, Irene, premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and received a special jury award at the Aspen Shortfest. In 2006, he received a fellowship from the newly formed United States Artists foundation. Harjo's first feature film, Four Sheets to the Wind, tells the story of a young Seminole man who travels from his small hometown to Tulsa to visit his sister after the death of their father. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the grand jury prize. Harjo was named best director at the 2007 American Indian Film Festival. Harjo's second feature, Barking Water, premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It portrays a road trip by a dying man and his former lover across Oklahoma to see his daughter and granddaughter in Wewoka, the capital of the Seminole Nation. Barking Water was named best drama film at the 2009 American Indian Film Festival. Ha…

Directed

1. The Magicians (2015) — Director
2. Reservation Dogs (2021) — Director
3. The Lowdown (2025) — Director
4. Barking Water (2009) — Director
5. Four Sheets to the Wind (2007) — Director
6. Mekko (2015) — Director
7. This May Be the Last Time (2014) — Director
8. Goodnight Irene (2005) — Director
9. Love and Fury (2020) — Director
10. Who Controls the Land (2018) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Reservation Dogs (2021) — Adult Bigfoot
2. The Last Movie Stars (2022) — Robert Altman (voice)
3. Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen (2019) — Self
4. We Are Still Here (2021) — Himself
5. Hail to the Breadsticks! (2023) — Self
6. Who Controls the Land (2018) — Filmmaker
7. Red Fever (2024) — Self - Filmmaker, Writer, Director