THE BOXERS OF BRULE
Documentary Feature, 2021 ⏐ Vice World News
Documentary Short, 2019 ⏐ Collective Eye
Role: Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor
Best Documentary Short ⏐ imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Best Documentary Short Nominee ⏐ Tribeca Film Festival
At 23 years old, Shaionna Grass Rope lost her best friend Cheryl Ziegler to suicide. Cheryl- her cousin by blood and sister by culture- was an aspiring boxer who battled depression and addiction. Though facing the same struggles, Shaionna creates a boxing team for the girls following in their footsteps, determined to end trends of youth suicide within the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. The preteen squad faces the challenges of growing up on a reservation together with humor, sass and slushy-stained smiles.