Award Winning Native Filmmaker Mike J. Marin Brings Urban Native Horror to a New Dimension

Award winning Native filmmaker/writer Mike J. Marin (Navajo/Laguna Pueblo/Washoe) found himself increasingly frustrated during the pandemic. A diabetic, he was careful to isolate himself to protect his health. However, the restrictions shut down most options to pursue his greatest love, making indie films, particularly horror films. “I was a fan of movies, mainly horror and action, since I was very young,” explains Marin. A self-taught artist, music producer and filmmaker, Marin sharpened his skills at Chicago’s Columbia College, earning a B.A in film/video. While in Chicago, Marin wrote and directed The Smudging, beginning his journey into Urban Native Horror. Released in 2015, the film has over 25 million views on Amazon Prime. But mid-pandemic, he was unable to pursue the many projects running around in his head and his frustration grew. Finally, Marin’s wife said to him, “You have degrees in filmmaking and graphic arts. Do something! You have a room full of action figures. Do something with them.” Thus began Marin’s journey into the world of action figure photography. 



Soon Marin was all in. “Action figure photography is a new form of art that I became interested in and kind of became pretty good at.” Each project begins with “the hunt” for the right action figure. Using a light box, Dollar Store lights, and his iPhone, Marin worked to create the picture he had in his mind. “Imagination, an eye for detail, and a good camera phone are all you need to tell single-frame stories, one shot at a time. It takes a lot of patience to get the pose exactly right but the final product is definitely worth it.” Marin enjoys working with characters from the Predator movies, some of his favorite characters in the genre. “They have an incredible amount of detail which works well with the light. Lighting sells the picture.” Ever the filmmaker, he has taken his action figure photography to the next level. He created the indie short film, Unboxed: The Art of Action Figure Photography, where he shows the work of several creatives, including himself, who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of action figure photography. “What some of the guys are doing is nothing less than art.” In addition, Marin has created a series of single frame story videos with action figures from different times and spaces do battle. “I love creating single frame stories that put iconic movie characters in the same universe”, explains Marin. 

Native Filmmaker Mike J. Marin Fields Questions at the American Indian Center - Chicago
Photo by Louis M. Vasseur

Marin continues to pursue his love of the horror genre, specifically Urban Native Horror. His Cinema Red: Natives & Horror, and Cinema Red: Full Native Horror explore the horror genre from a Native perspective. “I love going to the movies. I love film as well. But horror is my thing. I love horror movies.” Marin explains that while most horror stories revolve around a person or thing, Native horror stories are based more on the spiritual. These stories came from his childhood and he wondered what would happen if these stories were placed in an urban setting. Thus, Urban Native Horror was born. 



Marin is continuing to work on multiple projects. “There is no limit to pretend. The universe is the limit.”  Check out Marin's indie short film, Unboxed: The Art of Action Figure Photography, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBStRMaeuRE.

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