Outstanding Achievement
in Film
Award
Albuquerque NM
Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Congressman John Lewis
President Joe Biden
“ I am so thankful for all of the work done to impact the MMIW crisis. It is an unconscionable human rights emergency that we must work together to end.
Increased awareness created by the film is an important component of driving action to protect Native women and families.”
“ When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something, to say something.
You have my full support for this very important film and effort.”
“ This issue is an absolute passion of mine . . .
What’s happening to indigenous women on reservations and across the United States is unconscionable and outrageous. And, it’s devastating that families are conducting their own searches for missing loved ones. It must end. The epidemic of violence against indigenous women and girls is a stain on our past and present. But it does not have to be our future, ”
RAIN - director.
Somebody's Daughter and Say Her Name are not films that were made simply for 'awareness' or entertainment. Rain is about action, and getting the message to the people with the ability to make change.
On November 15, President Biden signed an Executive Order on “Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People.” Many of the recommendations were discussed by the President and film director Rain in 2020 and are highlighted in Somebody’s Daughter (1492-), which President Biden has supported.
Rain wrote several MMIWG/MMIP policy proposals for the Biden-Harris Indigenous Policy Justice Subcommittee which are reflected in the President’s Executive Order.
Says Rain, “ President Biden kept his word. He told me the MMIWG tragedy was one of his priorities. This is a positive step, but I agree with the President, ‘more work is needed to address the crisis.’ Much more,”
Rain is currently in pre-production for the final documentary in his MMIWG trilogy, Ni Una Mas (Not One More), that will highlight how MMIWG is an existential threat to tribal people worldwide.
Find a screening of Somebody's Daughter or Say Her Name
Learn about Somebody's Daughter Events, past and future
Somebody's Daughter is about finding solutions
Chairman Tim Davis of the Blackfeet Nation appeals to AG Garland, FBI Director Chris Wray, and Secretary Haaland to open an investigation into the "egregious failures" in law enforcement's handling of MMIWG/MMIP cases in Montana:
" Kimberly (Loring Heavy Runner) recounts many of these horrendous failings in the MMIWG documentary Somebody’s Daughter. There is no better time to raise this matter as a new version of the film is about to be released which features President Biden. I have listened to President Biden’s words in the film, and I have little doubt that he would agree that decisive action is not only urgently needed, but long overdue. In Somebody’s Daughter, I demand an investigation into Ashley’s case, and with this letter I reiterate that, with an official request for an immediate investigation into every facet of this flawed case. I also call for a renewed focus and effort to resolve this tragic situation. The Loring-Heavy Runner family has suffered for too long. "
Dr Phil
On November 30, MMIWG was featured for the first time on one of the Big Three national broadcast networks. The Dr. Phil Show on CBS is highlighting Say Her Name and Somebody’s Daughter, and includes interviews with film director Rain, Say Her Name presenter Juliet Hayes, and the “face” of Somebody’s Daughter and the national MMIW billboard campaign, Katelyn Goes Ahead Pretty. Rain was also at IAIA in Santa Fe on December 3, 2021 where both Somebody’s Daughter (1492-) and Say Her Name were screened.
Say Her Name
Find out why this county with fewer than 14,000 residents and this small reservation border town, Hardin, has been called the epicenter of the MMIWG tragedy
President Biden’s statement “ . . .what’s happening to Indigenous women on reservations and across the United States is unconscionable and outrageous. And it is devastating that families are conducting their own searches for missing loved ones. It must end. . .” epitomizes what Rain's short documentary film, Say Her Name, exposes in Bighorn County, Montana. The county, which includes parts of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations, has been called “an epicenter of MMIWG cases” by the Sovereign Bodies Institute.
"Say Her Name" peels back the layers of platitudes and obfuscation that has become standard operating procedure for authorities with jurisdictional responsibility for MMIW/MMIP cases, and instead provides an insight that is both heart wrenching and inspiring, as the families of loved ones demonstrate incredible strength and spirit as they recount their experiences.
Say Her Name prompted one network affiliate to predict, “People across the country can expect an eye-opening experience as they watch the film.”
Watch the trailer here