Tantu made her film debut in 1975 with a role in the short film He Comes Without a Call. In total, Cardinal played in 91 films and television series.

In 1999, Tantu made her directorial debut with the short film Stories of the Seventh Fire.

Tantu is the winner of the Western Heritage Awards (1991), Banff World Media Festival (1995), Gemini (1996), First Americans in the Arts Awards (2001), Vancouver International Film Festival (2008), Leo Awards” (2012) and Philadelphia FirstGlance Film Festival (2012).

Selected filmography:

actress:

Year			Name
1975			He Comes Without Calling
1986			Places Not Our Own (Daughters of the Country, Episode 3)
1988			War Party
1990			Dances with Wolves
1993			Silent Tongue
1993			Big Bear
1993			Where the Rivers Flow North
1993—1995			Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
1994			Legends of the Fall
1994—1997			North of 60
1998			Smoke Signals
1999			Stories from the Seventh Fire
2012			The Killing
2013			Maina
2016			Frontier
2016			ARQ
2023			Killers of the Flower Moon

film director:

• 1999 — Stories from the Seventh Fire