Family loss led Indigenous filmmaker to focus on missing, murdered Indigenous people crisis
By Royale Da
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NEW MEXICO (KOAT) — Amanda Erickson is an Indigenous filmmaker whose spent the last five years working on a project that chronicles the missing and murdered indigenous women’s crisis in New Mexico.
Her film is called, “She Cried that Day” and it gives you a view of this movement you haven’t seen before.
“I’m so honored to be entrusted with these stories, and feel such a sense of responsibility,” said Erickson. “She Cried That Day is an investigative look into the missing and murdered Indigenous women’s crisis through the lens of the women and the allies on the frontlines here in New Mexico.”
At the heart of the film, is a story about love and a sister’s love and a family that refuses to let their loved ones murder, go unnoticed and remain invisible to the justice system.”
That sister is Christine. Her sibling, Dione Thomas, was murdered in Gallup in 2015. The case was closed and police ruled the cause of death as undetermined. It was eventually reopened, but COVID-19 hit and brought everything to a halt.
Erickson hopes “She Cried that Day” amplifies calls for action in Dione’s case and the cases of other Indigenous people who’ve gone missing or were found dead.
“I really think that people will feel a connection to the women that they meet along the way in this film, and want to join them in their fight for justice,” Erickson said. “To be able to stand up to talk to their government leaders, to talk to police and ask for resources for families to ask for support for all the activists that are working so hard on this issue.”
The film is in post production and those involved with the project are raising money to put the finishing touches on it. Then they want to get it into the public soon.
Erickson said the women in her film are doing courageous work.
“They’re the Indigenous women and the allies that are fighting to protect their communities; their love for their family members, their love for their community, and the lengths that they’ll go to to protect them,” Erickson said.
If you’d like to help the film’s crew finish the project, log onto the “Film Independent” website and search for “She Cried that Day.”
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