Warrior Women

Film phase:Completed

SYNOPSIS

The women of the American Indian Movement fight from a vulnerable place only matriarchs can understand—it is a battle for their children and the culture they hope to preserve for them. Warrior Women chronicles the struggle of Madonna Thunder Hawk and Marcy Gilbert, a Lakota mother and daughter whose fight for indigenous rights started in the 1970s and continues today at Standing Rock.

Through archival footage, verité, and video art, we experience Thunder Hawk’s dedication to Red Power and come to understand that activism is necessary for the very survival and success of Native culture and values for the next generation.

Warrior Women participated in the 2017 Diversity Fellows Initiative (past program).

 

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

Warrior Women is directed by Christina D. King and Elizabeth Castle.

Christina D. King looks at the camera. Black and white portrait.A enrolled member of the Seminole Tribe, Christina D. King’s work spans commercials, documentary, film, and television with a focus on civic engagement through storytelling.

Christina recently produced the adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel We the Animals, as well as the documentaries Up Heartbreak Hill​ (POV) and This May Be The Last Time​ (Sundance Channel International), which explores the origins of Native Mvskogee worship songs in Oklahoma.

 

Dr. Elizabeth Castle smiles at the camera. Black and white portrait.

Dr. Elizabeth Castle is a scholar-activist making her first documentary based on her book on Native women’s activism and oral history collection. While completing her PhD at Cambridge, she worked for President Clinton’s Initiative on Race and served as a delegate to the UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. She received the UC Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Santa Cruz under the supervision of professor Angela Davis. Elizabeth is descended from the Pekowi band of the Shawnee.