Bring Her Home follows three Indigenous women – an artist, an activist, and a politician – as they fight to vindicate and honor their missing and murdered relatives who have fallen victims to a growing epidemic across Indian country. Despite the lasting effects from historical trauma, each woman must search for healing while navigating racist systems that brought about this very crisis.
The Director
Leya Hale comes from the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and Diné Nations. She makes her home in Saint Paul, Minnesota with her companion and children. She is a producer for Twin Cities PBS and is best known for her first feature documentary, The People’s Protectors, a Vision Maker Media grant production, and winner of the 2019 Upper Midwest Emmy Award for Best Cultural Documentary.
In 2020, Leya was awarded the Sundance Institute Merata Mita Fellowship for Indigenous Artists and attended the 2020 Berlinale European Film Market as a NATIVe Fellow. Leya is currently working on her second feature, Bring Her Home, a documentary that highlights the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic. When not producing feature films, Leya works on a variety of short form content in efforts to create social change within the upper Midwest region. |
Director Statement
Indigenous people continue to suffer from the effects of colonization, systemic oppression, and trauma. Many of the issues we face today, such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic, are a direct result of U.S. Federal Indian Policies.
As the fight for social justice continues to accelerate in this country, it is important for Indigenous people and allies to support Indigenous leaders like Angela Two Stars, Mysti Babineau and Rep. Ruth Buffalo, who are fighting to bring awareness to this ongoing epidemic while reclaiming Indigenous women’s strength and status. As an Indigenous female producer with access to a trusted public media platform, I feel a responsibility to leverage this access to help bring further attention to this crisis. Although telling stories of pain and loss can be traumatic, I have made it my obligation to not only highlight the challenges my people face, but to offer stories of hope, resilience, and healing.
Many prayers and traditional practices went into the making of BRING HER HOME. I’ve made it my top priority to incorporate traditional medicines into our overall production to protect the well-being of participants and to encourage our production team to remain committed to telling these stories with compassion and respect.
My ultimate hope for BRING HER HOME is to empower Indigenous women to change their narrative from one of victimization and vulnerability to one of strength and resilience.
As the fight for social justice continues to accelerate in this country, it is important for Indigenous people and allies to support Indigenous leaders like Angela Two Stars, Mysti Babineau and Rep. Ruth Buffalo, who are fighting to bring awareness to this ongoing epidemic while reclaiming Indigenous women’s strength and status. As an Indigenous female producer with access to a trusted public media platform, I feel a responsibility to leverage this access to help bring further attention to this crisis. Although telling stories of pain and loss can be traumatic, I have made it my obligation to not only highlight the challenges my people face, but to offer stories of hope, resilience, and healing.
Many prayers and traditional practices went into the making of BRING HER HOME. I’ve made it my top priority to incorporate traditional medicines into our overall production to protect the well-being of participants and to encourage our production team to remain committed to telling these stories with compassion and respect.
My ultimate hope for BRING HER HOME is to empower Indigenous women to change their narrative from one of victimization and vulnerability to one of strength and resilience.