New York-based group FilmRise has dropped a gripping first trailer for “Missing From Fire Trail Road,” Sabrina Van Tassel (“The State of Texas vs. Melissa“)’s documentary film about the crimes against indigenous women.
“Missing From Fire Trail Road” sheds light on the case of Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, a Native-American woman who disappeared in 2020, and exposes how hundreds of indigenous women continue to go missing in the US, perpetuating trans-generational trauma on Indian reservations. Van Tassel joined forces with Deborah Parker, an outspoken activist and former vice chairwoman of the Tulalip
Tribe who serves as executive producer on “Missing From Trail Road.” The docu was produced in association with FilmRise and Canal+ Docs.
Aside from telling the story on Johnson-Davis, “Missing from Fire Trailer Road” also looks at the responsibility of complex tribal jurisdictional issues in creating legal loopholes on Indian reservations, as well as the lack of reporting. Van Tassel argues these factors have led Indian reservations to become hunting grounds for serial rapists and large-scale sex-trafficking.
A number of high profile talent have sounded the alarm on the prevalence of missing and missing Indigenous women, notably Lily Gladstone, the advocate and Golden Globe actor of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” who supports the film and its social justice mandate. Early in her career, Gladstone played Parker in the documentary theater piece “Silver of a Full Moon.” Upon receiving an award at Variety’s Power of Woman event, Gladstone paid tribute to Parker’s work to protect Indigenous women and described her as the “fantastic trial chairwoman of the Tulalip nation and a boardmember for NIWRC and a survivor herself” in her passionate speech.
In a previous interview with Variety, Gladstone discussed her role in “Killers of the Flower Moon” and called out the FBI’s role in the tragic fate of Indigenous women. “It’s ironic that the FBI was formed on a case solving the murder of indigenous people. When now they are the only governing body that has authority to do something and they don’t,” said the actor.
Parker tells Variety that “Missing from Fire Trail Road’ is “our way to seek justice in Mary Ellen’s honor.” “It is a direct call to action to highlight the struggles and generational trauma that we face as Indigenous women. It is time to understand that women in our community have been raped, trafficked, assaulted and have been murdered at the highest rates in the U.S. for generations.” She says she hopes the documentary will “spark outrage and triggers the advancement of laws, safety measures and healing.”
“Missing From Fire Trail Road” also features Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary in the U.S. She has launched a federal investigation into government-run Indian boarding schools highlighting a century of abuse.
The documentary feature, which is being circled by several streamers, received a grant from non-profit org Story board Collective to finance the impact campaign around the film. It will be led by a coalition of women who are indigenous activists and political leaders.
The cinematic documentary follows Van Tassel’s “The State of Texas vs. Melissa,” another socially engaged documentary which looked at the U.S. judicial system through the story of Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman on death row in Texas. “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” premiered at Tribeca in 2020 and bowed on Hulu. Stirring a major debate within national media, the investigating documentary revealed new evidence that contributed to saving Lucio’s life 48 hours before her execution date. The local district attorney just issued a statement suggesting that Lucio could now be liberated.
Here’s a first look at the trailer:
