In this interview, Navajo filmmaker Blackhorse Lowe shares his unique approach to storytelling, which is deeply rooted in his traditional upbringing and spiritual experiences. Drawing from his background in the Native American Church and family traditions, Lowe crafts films that blend psychedelic influences, personal narratives, and indigenous perspectives. He shares insights into his creative journey, transitioning from independent filmmaking to working on professional productions like Reservation Dogs, while emphasizing his commitment to creating art that prioritizes visceral experience and community representation over didactic cultural messaging.

Shivani Somaiya: You’ve often described your film as personal, psychedelic, and spiritual. Could you elaborate on how these elements manifest in your work, but particularly in relation to indigenous storytelling?

Blackhorse Lowe: I was raised in a traditional Navajo household that also participated in the Native American Church. The Native American Church used peyote as a sacrament for spiritual guidance and healing. During those ceremonies I was told about the power of peyote and its teaching. How to maintain balance, have reverence for nature, and know that every element and animal has spiritual power. Also along with that I was told about how certain movies related to Navajo creation stories and history. My father talked about fire after seeing Backdraft. In the film the characters saw fire as a force of destruction, evil and without soul. My father told us the opposite, that fire was a living breathing being that is a force of good; it provides warmth, healing, light and so on. To balance it out my mother told the Navajo creation story of fire and then spoke of The Fifth Element. She mentioned how it was a Navajo story because it involved the four sacred elements (fire, water, air and earth) and was about the spiritual evolution of humankind. My Cheii spoke of Navajo history and how Conan the Barbarian was closer to our historical experience; slave raids, warring tribes, gods, monsters, witches, and battles. But throughout all of this, the Navajo sought to live a life in hózhó (beauty and balance). So when I was watching films by Alejandro Jodorowsky like El Topo or The Holy Mountain, they all had the same type of residue, themes, and vibe. When I saw other movies by European filmmakers who talked about psychedelics and spiritual journeys, it was very similar to the kind of films I was making. Films that spoke of the sacred and the profane.

Shivani Somaiya: I was watching a clip from one of your films, Fukry, and I see these influences play out in a very different way than how you described it, so it's really interesting to hear you talk about your upbringing and its influences and how they continue to show up in your art form. I can tell it's very personal.

Blackhorse Lowe: Oh, yeah, most definitely. With each film, I'm always trying to push the envelope in terms of filmmaking and style. They all explore the theme of love and its effects. My first film, Fifth World, deals with first love, clan systems, being a young Navajo, breaking taboos, separating yourself from your heritage, only to come back, or be forced to come back to it. But it's shot like a Stan Brakhage mushroom trip. The second film deals with immaturity, love loss, the pain of a messy break up, loneliness and depression, but then finding DMT as a way to release yourself from emotional pain and stunted growth. And then Fukry is basically, as the title implies, a bunch of people just acting a fool, treating love like a game, doing too many drugs and having everything falling apart on them and then ending in confusion. Without a spiritual core they are lost. All these films talk about the same theme, but the results are completely different. 

Shivani Somaiya: In your experiences, how have psychedelic influences in art contributed to authentic storytelling at all? We just also spoke about how they're a part of your creative process, but if there's anything more you want to add to that question, then I'll give you some space.

Blackhorse Lowe: Gaspar Noé’s Enter the Void is a good example of how psychedelics influence art and authentic storytelling. With that film he told a complex tale of man seeking the divine and escape from trauma through DMT. He reads from the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the souls' ascension and reckoning. The main character is a drug dealer, he gets killed, and then his DMT drenched spirit reflects on his life and seeks harmony. If Gaspar didn’t do DMT he wouldn’t have brought that authentic experience to audiences. That film is very close to what that psychedelic exposes you to and how it opens your mind. 

Shivani Somaiya: Fifth World was your feature directorial debut, and it premiered at Sundance in 2005. How do you feel your approach to filmmaking has changed since then? What elements from your approach do you still use to inform your current creative process?

Blackhorse Lowe: Well for starters, we made that film with $25,000. My friend worked as an editor at the local CBS affiliate and found this film cage with 16mm cameras and lenses collecting dust. His hands "got sticky" one weekend and we "borrowed" a camera, got discounted Fuji film stock through my college, convinced two friends to hit the road, and just started shooting my first feature. It was very organic and there were no rules applied at all. We were stealing cameras, getting discounts, and just trying to make it happen. It was very scrappy and small. 

Compared to where I'm at now — I’m directing TV and features with actual budgets and professional crews. It's night and day. But with these new experiences I try to maintain my independent scrappy spirit and continue to push the form forward. I always want to learn and experiment. 

Shivani Somaiya: You've worked on both independent projects and major productions like Reservation Dogs. How do these experiences differ from each other? What unique challenges or opportunities do each of these present for Native storytelling?

Blackhorse Lowe: For twenty-five years, it was all independent film: scraping together money, begging friends to be in my movie, stealing locations, paying people with marijuana and pizza just to show up. I had to wear multiple hats — shoot, light, edit, even play parts in my own movie — just to get it made. 

With directing TV, I don't have to pick up a camera, bribe anyone, or beg. It's so much easier with professional department heads who've been in the game since the seventies. I’m getting these opportunities to learn from people who’ve worked with the masters of cinema.

I’m grateful for the indie training — I know how to work within budget constraints, time constraints, work with a variety of artistic people and maximize production. 

I think the main thing that is challenging is telling authentic Native stories that are complex and original. Poverty porn, historical traumas, and corny stories is what most audiences expect from Native Narratives. My goal is to shake off all those played out narratives and make a new cinematic mutant. 

Shivani Somaiya: I have so many more questions about how you navigated that transition. If you were to give advice to somebody who's in your position, who is about to make the same transition, what would you say to them?

Blackhorse Lowe: Dive in the deep end and see if you can swim. Also watch as many films as you can, consume art, read, listen to music, and steal from the best. Also experience as much life as possible. 

Shivani Somaiya: Speaking of mentorship, what impact do you hope your films and TV will have on younger generations of Native Americans, both in terms of representation and as potential filmmakers? How are you creating a legacy and fostering a new generation of Native American filmmakers?

Blackhorse Lowe: Hopefully when people come to my films, they're not thinking that they're just going to learn something about Native American people from it. If they are, they will be really f—ing disappointed to find out that we really love metal music, weird art, and psychedelics.

I want my films to impact younger generations through cool music, visuals, and unforgettable vibes, not just Native representation. I want to create a unique cinematic experience. I hope for people to have a good time, escape from the world, and see something completely different from a new pair of eyes.