We ride for her.
An Indigenous women’s motorcycle group rides to end the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women while a member of their community desperately searches for her missing sister and tries to heal her shattered family.

Directed by Prairie Rose Seminole & Katrina Lillian Sorrentino.
This documentary sheds light on the United States’ history of genocide and systemic oppression of Indigenous people and the continued dark reality of violence against and consistent devaluing of Indigenous women. Indigenous women and girls in the United States are more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women and girls. 83% of American Indian Alaska Natives experience violence in their lifetime while 80% of sexual violence is perpetrated by non-Indigenous people. The vast majority of women and children who have endured this never see their abusers brought to justice.

The reality of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and relatives (MMIW/G/R) is a horrific one with its origins in the violence brought upon Indigenous communities by colonizers. A history of violence and devaluation of Native bodies, combined with a justice system that was never established to protect Indigenous people, created the epidemic we see today. There are over 5,500 missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls, and that number is conservative. The majority of cases are closed prematurely by law enforcement, which results in Native families putting little faith and trust in a justice system that has failed them. That is why the women in our film take matters into their own hands to see what impact they can have.

As an enrolled tribal member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota and a descendent of the Sahnish/Arikara, Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Nations, I have lived experience with the MMIW/R epidemic. My community has witnessed the disappearance and death of many. My family has endured tragedy with homicide; my aunt whose death was never investigated, our nephew who was murdered in Montana, and my brother’s death in North Dakota.

We will not find comfort in a justice system that is tied to stolen land, broken treaties, forced removal of Indigenous peoples and countless government policies centered around assimilation and cultural genocide. These systems need to change and in order to do that, we must educate the dominant culture around us, that we matter. Through this film, I do not seek to exploit the violence and trauma in our communities but rather seek to raise consciousness and demand action for Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirt relatives who have been taken, tortured, raped, trafficked, assaulted, and murdered.

This film provides a platform for Indigenous voices to be heard and for our stories to be shared with a wider audience in order to raise awareness, empathy and understanding. I hope our film provides evidence to support policy changes and reform that address the root causes of the crisis and the barriers that we face to seek justice. Our film is a witness of this moment, serving as a historical record of MMIW, preserving the stories and experiences of those affected for future generations to learn from and build upon. 

Prairie Rose Seminole
We Ride For Her
is a community-owned film.
These stakeholders are collectively, an equal partner in ownership, to the producers and the financiers.
Heather Taken Alive
Medicine Wheel Riders
Indivisible Tohono
Honwungsi Consulting Services
Deer Woman
NativeLove
Sexual Assault Services Organization
Skye Woman Project
MMIW Wyoming Chapter
Washakie Museum & Cultural Center
MMIP Billings LLC
Northern Cheyenne Search & Rescue
Women's Resource Center
Yellowstone County Human Trafficking Task Force
Oaye Luta Okolakiciye Center
NDN Collective
Thunder Valley CDC
Where All Women Are Honored
Crazy Horse Memorial

Community Ownership Film Funding Model

Stardust Arts Foundation produced the documentary short film We Ride For Her that sheds light on the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW/R). Across the film’s development, production, and financing, our team implemented a community ownership model, ensuring that those affected by the crisis hold a primary role in guiding the film’s direction and impact. This model was developed to center equity and transparency, ensuring that the film contributes towards the movement to end the MMIW/R crisis and benefits Indigenous community leaders and advocates who have laid the foundation for the film’s storytelling.

The structure of this ownership model provides that all profits are to be shared equally between the filmmakers and the film’s Indigenous community stakeholders; financiers will not receive any profits from the film’s distribution, and all individuals involved in the process have been ensured access to the footage for use for their own not-for-profit purposes. We have developed a legal template LLC operating agreement based on this community ownership model, to be distributed as a free resource for film funders and non-profit organizations interested in applying this framework to support filmmakers and community stakeholders in future projects. We invite others in the industry to adopt this new standard, resisting exploitative frameworks and seeding transformative change.

The community ownership model was originated by our partners at Level Forward, the story-driven, impact-minded entertainment company, creating community ownership opportunities on their screen and stage productions since 2018.

DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP OPERATING AGREEMENT TEMPLATE

This film was conceptualized, supported, and produced by Red Sand Project, a participatory artwork raising awareness about human trafficking. Since its inception in 2014, Red Sand Project has been committed to telling the stories of those who have been trafficked, exploited, or made vulnerable. Red Sand Project has developed deep partnerships with organizations working to advocate for survivors, provide relief and support, and foster community.

From its inception, Red Sand Project has been focused on removing the onus and responsibility of awareness-raising away from survivors of human trafficking and towards communities and allies. This commitment to not retraumatizing those who have lived through violence and trauma—in the name of raising awareness—informs everything that Red Sand Project does, including this film. We believe that those who are closest to the issue—who are most impacted—should be those who set the agenda and create solutions. This is why we ensured that our filmmaking team is composed of Native people, families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and people, survivors of trafficking, and people of color. 

RIDE.
Join us, alongside the Medicine Wheel Riders, as we collectively incite hope and call for action.
LEARN MORE
REFLECT & RESPOND.
Uncover the actions that all of us must take to raise the awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Relatives and advocate for the end of this violence.
TAKE ACTION
OUR SCREENING GUIDE.
Would you like to screen WE RIDE FOR HER in your community? See our guide to learn more about screening requirements, plus an abundance of information and resources to help make your screening a success.
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