- GIFT OF FEAR -
MMIW FEATURE
MAIN CHARACTER
MMIW FEATURE
A SAG AFTRA feature film addressing the issue of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women.
Starring Justin Johnson Cortez, Laura Vallejo, Michael Horse and introducing Isa Antonetti. Also starring Christian Vilina, Jataun Gilbert, Sam Marra, Jonathan Cahill, BJ Iwouha, Carly Kohler, Vanessa Allen, Keith Baker.
LOG LINE
MAIN CHARACTER
MMIW FEATURE
She couldn’t save her mother 11 years ago,
but when her friend gets taken by a kidnapping ring working the reservation, a hardened young woman leaves her world behind to seek "justice . . . and vengeance."
MAIN CHARACTER
MAIN CHARACTER
MAIN CHARACTER
Mili (Isa Antonetti) knows the statistics: Native American women are 10 times more likely to be murdered than the general population. Thousands of Native women are missing and 72 of them are from her own reservation. This isn’t about statistics for Mil - It is eminently personal.
MILI'S STORY
THE COMMUNITY
MAIN CHARACTER
Mili shut down after seeing her mother murdered 11 years ago. As a child she had to look out for herself and navigate the foster care system. Out of options, she is finally making it work at her placement in a group home. Now she has embraced a MMA Jiu Jitsu team as her family of sorts.
THE GANG
THE COMMUNITY
THE COMMUNITY
Only her past refuses to stay in the past. The gang she once ran with, led by Tomas Brown (Christian Vilina) decides to teach her a lesson by kidnapping her friend. Now Mili must choose between the life she’s finally making work or risk everything to save her friend from a life of sex trafficking.
THE COMMUNITY
THE COMMUNITY
THE COMMUNITY
It’s present day in Northern California on tribal lands. The community is suffering from the disappearance of daughters,
sisters, mothers, aunties and wives. Tribal police and local law enforcement argue over jurisdiction while families helplessly
grieve.
MILI
DRAGON FOX DOJO
DRAGON FOX DOJO
Mili is a 17-year-old Native American girl. As a child she had to look out for herself and navigate foster care. She’s a tough, defiant, LGTBQ foster youth who lives in a group home. A major chip on her shoulder has created a wall between her and anyone wishing to help her. She sought family with a gang; breaking free from gang life, she wants to get her future on track.
DRAGON FOX DOJO
DRAGON FOX DOJO
DRAGON FOX DOJO
Youth search for ways to channel the impacts of generational trauma and a bleak future. Some turn to gangs, some to
substances and others find a positive outlet in the local MMA Jiu Jitsu Dojo. The feisty, retired MMA fighter, Koko, is a mentor to the kids she coaches, including our hero.
MANNY
DRAGON FOX DOJO
MANNY
Manny (Justin Johnson Cortez) is a 40 year Native American man, athletically fit and handsome. He is ead of the new regional Missing & Murdered Unit for the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services. Manny arrives to investigate human remains discovered near the reservation. He must overcome suspicion from law enforcement and mistrust from the victims’ families when another girl is missing.
KOKO
KOKO
MANNY
Koko (Laura Vallejo) is a 36-year-old Native American MMA fighter and Jiu Jitsu Coach for Dragon Fox Dojo. Rising from an abuse-laden past, she serves in Tribal Preservation and is a local activist for MMIW. Although a badass on a Harley, she has a genuine concern for Mili and all kids she coaches.
TEN
KOKO
TEN
Ten (Nora Zade) is a 17-year-old Native American woman from a strong family. She was kidnapped by the Sidewinders Gang and Mili is determined to rescue her. Her grandfather, Chance (Michael Horse) is the Tribal Police Chief who partners with the MMU agent to find her.
KOKO
TEN
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Dr. April Lea Go Forth
Shingle Springs Band of Miwoks
DIRECTORS
Katy Dore & Jack Kohler
PRODUCER/FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER
Elle Beyer
PRODUCER/FIGHT COORDINATOR
Lon Beyer
WRITERS
Carly Kohler & Jack Kohler