Native Americans have dodged bullets since the first contact with Europeans. This film brings a cross-generational sampling of Indigenous people, researchers, and politicians to reveal stunning reasons for their disproportionately high incidences of health and social issues. This collection of remarkable stories, names Historical Trauma as the unique and insidious part of the generic code that resilient Native American populations are still finding ways to dodge.
Dodging Bullets Presentation EPK
Film Logline
Quotes
This film was made for the Wašicun eyes.
Rick McArthur A.I.M. Legal Rights Center, Lakota Nation
“From a social justice perspective, historical trauma is, absolutely, a very real thing. If you systematically tell the history of this nation and leave out this history of colonization, oppression, marginalization, genocide, ethnocide attack... that is socially unjust.”
Melissa Walls, PhD Associate Professor University of Minnesota
“There is no more hiding in the back room when we are confronted, we’re coming out”
Leonard Thompson White Earth Nation Discussing the current rise of power of the First Nation’s youth
Film Synopsis
America’s fickle love affair with Native Americans is limited to revisionist stories of passive Indian maidens like Pocahontas and Sacajawea or fierce doomed warriors like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Worse, the modern stereotype America has about Native Americans is limited to the oppressed drunkard or the fat casino cat, neither of which deserves understanding nor empathy. No matter what kind of image is evoked, you can’t win if you’re Native: A successful ‘Indian’ exploits the American way by not giving back his fair share and a downtrodden ‘Indian’ can’t pull himself up by his bootstraps no matter how much government assistance he’s given. Native Americans are blamed for not taking responsibility for the plight of their people and told that they don’t deserve help or money despite the fact that Native Americans have the highest poverty rates and the lowest access to health care of any race in the United States. Read Full Synopsis >
PDF Press Kit
Click here to download a PDF of the current Dodging Bullets press release.
Click here to download a PDF of full Dodging Bullets press kit, which includes the most current press release.
To interview a member of the cast or crew, please fill out the media request form.
Production Stills
We recommend using the “This Paint is Red, My Skin is Not” or “1855 Treaty Zone” photos because of their visual storytelling and relevance to the film’s subject matter. However, feel free to use any of the photos for media.
Click here to download all high resolution, print quality images as a zip file.
Click here to view all high resolution, print quality images on one web page (you may “right click” on the individual images to download them).
Click here to download a zip file archive of images of our Co-directors.
Trailer
Embed code:
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Film Poster
Film Credits
Storytellers
Emmy May
Chy
Dirk Whitebreast
Melvin Lee Houston
Mike Her Many Horses
Leonard Thompson Jr.
Linda Eagle Speaker
Tall Paul
Joseph Marshall III
Cultural Experts
Melissa L. Walls, PhD
Dr. Anton Treuer
Dr. Michelle Johnson-Jennings
Lester Johnson III, Ed.D.
Richie Plass
Tara Houska
Don Coyhis
Rachel Yehuda, PhD
Vanessa Goodthunder
Rick McArthur
Clyde Bellecourt
Bill Means
Public Speakers
Rep. Betty McCollum
President Barack Obama
Rep. Keith Ellison
Jesse Ventura
Production Team
Director Browning Segment Kathy Broere
Director Duluth and Red Lake Segments Sarah Edstrom
Director Tall Paul Segment Jonathan Thunder
Director Lindy, NE, Treaty Rights and Wounded Knee, SD segments Bob Trench
Executive Producer Larry Long
Motion Graphics Jonathan Thunder
Logo Design Jonathan Thunder
Graphics Design Lucie Skjefte
Location Sound Del Helmer
Director of Photography Bob Trench
“A” and “B” Camera Matt Myers
Location Camera Graham Nolte
Location Camera Julie Verano
Dakota Translation Vanessa Goodthunder
Editor Bob Trench
Dialogue Editor Steve Aram
Production Assistant Anthony Maroney
Production Assistant J. Maki
Production Assistant Sylvia Walker
Still Photography Dick Bancroft
Still Photography Bob Trench
Still Photography Thomas Casey
Original Music Keith Secola
Full HD Broadcast Excerpts
There are three samples excerpts from the film Dodging Bullets available for download. 1080 Full HD, Zip Archives.
Melissa L. Walls, PhD discusses What is Historical Trauma?
Time 00:00:15:21
Rick McArthur discusses what happens when A Native get pulled over by a cop
Time 00:00:42:00
Leonard Thompson Jr. discusses what happens to Natives while exercising Treaty Rights (warning explicit)
Time 00:00:22:09
Reviewers Request
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Interviews
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