MISSOULA — "She Cried That Day", a moving film highlighting the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis, was shown at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula on Thursday, Feb. 20.
"Dione Thomas was murdered in Gallup, New Mexico in 2015," sister Karen Watson, a member of the MHA Nation, shared.
"Having a loved one who was murdered was so heartbreaking. It was so hard for my family," sister Christine Means, whose tribal affiliations are to the Arikara, Dakota, and Navajo, echoed.
Means and Watson lost their sister, Dione Thomas, ten years ago in what they say was a domestic violence situation.
"83% of Native American women are victims of violent crime," attorney for families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Darlene Gomez noted.
The sisters from New Mexico are still pushing for justice. "This for us is fighting for my sister's life," Means told MTN.
Watch the full story:
The film 'She Cried That Day' documents part of the family's journey. The title reflects Dione Thomas's character — that she wasn't a crier, but cried on the day of her death.
"Amanda (Erikson), who's the director, has been such a powerhouse in producing this film, and she showed me every step of the way trust in telling the story," Means said.
For Erikson, 15 years of producing for national TV channels led the Ndé creative to make 'She Cried That Day,' her first documentary.
By being a part of 'She Cried That Day,' the family wants to bring awareness to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis happening across the United States and Canada.
"It doesn't just happen on the reservation. My sister was not killed on the reservation," Watson said.
The film's premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival brought together Indigenous activists from Montana like Carissa Heavy Runner, who started the Mika Matters Movement.
Heavy Runner's daughter, Mika Westwolf, was struck and killed by a vehicle on Highway 93 in March of 2023 in Arlee while she was walking home.
"People are visual people, so I think it helps to have a documentary or a film and to have the discussion afterward from people that have lived the experience. It means a lot to me, especially with the sentencing that we just had for Mika on February 7th," Heavy Runner shared.
Westwolf's killer, Sunny White, was sentenced earlier this month and will serve 10 years in prison.
Plus, the screening brought Darlene Gomez to Missoula to share her action in MMIP cases and to spread the message of involvement to others.
"I do it because my friend Melissa Anne Montoya has been missing for almost 24 years from the Hickory Apache Nation in Dulce, New Mexico. So, I feel like the creator has called me to help other families," Gomez explained. She added, "If you have the opportunity just to share videos or to become aware and go to any type of MMIW activity in your community, please do so."
'She Cried That Day' highlights on screen an issue that can tear families apart but will never truly break them down.
"The ability to have somebody you know film and tell our side of the story has also been a process of grief, it's been a part of our grieving process, and I feel like that's been without realizing it, it's been very healing for us as a family," Means detailed.
Click here to watch the trailer.
