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Logline

She Cried That Day is a feature documentary chronicling the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Crisis through the lens of one Indigenous woman haunted by her sister’s unsolved murder. We bear witness to the emotional journey thousands of families must suffer through as their loved one’s cases sit on the shelves and we investigate the system that allows it to continue.

Synopsis

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Crisis, commonly known as MMIW refers to the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women that is devastating Native communities throughout the United States and Canada.

Murder is the THIRD leading cause of death for Native women

Indigenous Women face murder rates 10X the National average

Of the 5,712 MMIW cases reported in 2016, only 116 were logged by the Department of Justice database

She Cried That Day raises awareness about the MMIW crisis while amplifying the calls for action. One such call comes from Christine Means, whose sister, Dione Thomas was murdered in Gallup, New Mexico in 2015. Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding Dione’s death, the case was closed, and police ruled the cause of death as Undetermined.

But, in 2019, after the signing of NM House Bill 278, a Task Force is created to determine WHAT is contributing to the MMIW crisis and HOW the government can keep Indigenous women safe. Our cameras follow Christine as she shares Dione’s story at the first meeting of the NM MMIW Task Force. Will her calls for justice finally be heard? Will New Mexico, which has the highest number of MMIW cases, find a way to combat a crisis that is hundreds of years in the making?

She Cried That Day shows us first-hand, how the MMIW crisis affects a family, a State, and the Nation, and will leave you inspired by the strength of Indigenous culture, community and the women fighting on the frontlines.

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Meet the Filmmakers

Amanda Erickson – Director/Executive Producer

Amanda Erickson is a proud Ndé (Apache) Filmmaker and TV Producer who for the past 15 years has produced for networks like: Travel Channel, National Geographic WILD, Investigation Discovery and CuriosityStream. Growing up in the suburbs of Massachusetts away from her Apache father and community, she often wondered about her Indigenous roots. It would take 38 years before she returned to the San Carlos Apache Reservation, where her paternal family welcomed her back with open arms. She was home. This journey home culminated in the creation of her first documentary, which was selected by Vision Maker Media for the 2021 Public Media Fund.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.