By Elizabeth Woller | Producer
Through our interviews with Native American survivors of sex trafficking, we've uncovered a community of Native activists, women who are working tirelessly to expose the historical trauma that underlies the high suicide rates, high rates of sexual assault, domestic violence, and poverty that plague the Native American community.
We have returned twice to Minnesota and South Dakota to record the powerful stories of mothers, daughters, survivors, and advocates. Our short film Lost Hope has been expanded into a narrative of the parallel lives of two women, taken from their mothers by the state and raised in foster care with non-Native families. Both women suffered trauma and loss of identity that has had an undeniable impact on their daughters. The film follows their individual paths while reflecting on the issues impacting the community as a whole.
The film needs donors in order to be finished and put into distribution, where it would become part of university and High School curricula across the country. These powerful stories of real women trying to come to terms with the history of their people, the daunting obstacles facing their community, and the prospect of losing their cultural heritage have an important role to play in creating awareness about this issue. This is a unique opportunity for donors to be part of the production of an important documentary, that will have an immeasurable impact on awareness about Native American rights.
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