Minnesota Mean

"Minnesota Mean" takes you into the thrilling world of roller derby, following the lives of six badass women as they chase after the ultimate prize, the Hydra. When the team's top player gets sidelined with an injury, the question looms large: can they still clinch the victory?

This isn't your typical sports tale—it's a raw and real look at the tough, independent women at the core of roller derby. It's a story of triumph and heartbreak, of strong women facing challenges with grit and determination. How do these fiercely independent women navigate a sport that demands teamwork? And how do they juggle the demands of roller derby without giving up on their personal dreams?

"Minnesota Mean" is a powerful exploration of strength—physical, emotional, and mental. It's a journey into the world of friendship, independence, and finding balance both on and off the rink.

  • Dawn Mikkelson
    Director
    Risking Light, The Red Tail, Green Green Water
  • Brickyard
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Hurtrude Stein
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Shiver Me Kimbers
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Smoka Hontas
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Diamond Rough
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Switch Please
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Dessa
    Music
  • Jim Tittle
    Director of Photography
    The Price of Sand
  • Nanne Sørvold
    Camera
    Fem 101
  • Doug Blush
    Editing Consultant
    20 Feet from Stardom, Rock Camp, Icarus, Period End of Sentence
  • Dawn Mikkelson
    Writer
  • Dawn Mikkelson
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Sports, Women
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 28, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    247,098 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
    Minneapolis, MN
    April 15, 2023
    World Premiere
  • Florida Film Festival
    Orlando, FL
    United States
    April 17, 2023
  • Sunscreen Film Festival
    St. Petersburg, FL
    United States
    April 29, 2023
Distribution Information
  • Freestyle Digital Media
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
    Country: Canada
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
    Country: United States Minor Outlying Islands
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
  • Ananda Media
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
Director Biography - Dawn Mikkelson

Dawn Mikkelson (Director/Producer/Editor) - Dawn Mikkelson (Director/Producer/Editor) - Emmy Award winning producer and McKnight Filmmaking Fellow, whose work has broadcast, streamed and screened internationally. Festival screenings of her feature documentaries include: the Galway Film Fleadh, Cinequest, Mill Valley Film Festival, Heartland Film Festival, DOC NYC, Frameline Film Festival, and American Indian Film Festival. Broadcast and streaming include: APT (American Public Television), PBS, CBC (Canadian Broadcast Corporation), Yes-Docu (Israel), Duetsche Welle (Germany), iTunes, and Amazon Prime. In addition to MINNESOTA MEAN, Mikkelson has completed six award-winning independent feature documentaries, RISKING LIGHT, THE RED TAIL, GREEN GREEN WATER, THIS OBEDIENCE, and TREADING WATER: A DOCUMENTARY, character-driven films highlighting power and joy in the margins, her sixth of which FINDING HER BEAT, within the world of the ancient performance art of taiko drumming, premiered Fall 2022.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I first experienced Roller Derby, when close friend Bernasty (Lisa Math) joined the Minnesota Roller Derby. I watched as she grew in her confidence and simultaneously joined one of the most supportive communities of women I'd ever witnessed.

In a media culture that still tends to pit women against one other as adversaries, derby culture is the opposite. Unfortunately, roller derby has consistently been portrayed as a frivolous hobby with girls in short skirts and fishnets fighting for the titillation of male fans. The Minnesota Mean are done with that portrayal and so am I – as a woman, as a mother of two young girls, and as a filmmaker. They represent something rarely seen in popular culture: powerful women who are dedicated to each other and who simultaneously embrace and defy both gender stereotypes and physical preconceptions of what an athlete looks like. Body positivity and athleticism go hand in hand with roller derby.

When I explained this vision to the Minnesota Roller Derby (formerly Minnesota Roller Girls), they jumped on board for this project immediately, excited for the world to see them as they are: a group of serious athletes who are as fiercely dedicated to each other as they are to their sport.

Minnesota Mean is dedicated to our Director of Photography, Jim Tittle, who passed from cancer in 2020.