Private Project

Not Afraid

After a blow-up during basketball practice, Olivia struggles to face a deeper devastating reality in rural Montana.

  • Mikaela Bruce
    Director
    Hermana, Beyond Words, Pasarea, Hesed
  • Mikaela Bruce
    Writer
  • v.c. rhone
    Writer
    Pie a la Mode, Becky Brenneman's Bangin' Bat Mitvah, Pause for Hope, Red Brick Road
  • v.c. rhone
    Producer
    Pie a la Mode, Becky Brenneman's Bangin' Bat Mitvah, Pause for Hope, Red Brick Road
  • Jen Buckley-Murphy
    Producer
  • JaShaun St. John
    Key Cast
    "Olivia Not Afraid"
    Songs My Brothers Taught Me, The Short History of the Long Road, Ghost Dance
  • Kyla Garcia
    Key Cast
    "Aunt Betty "
    Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., New Amsterdam, Cable Girls, Blackwater
  • Charley Flyte
    Key Cast
    "Jessica Not Afraid"
    American Crime Story, Rutherford Falls, Step Up 2: The Streets
  • Junior Pereira
    Cinematography
    Westworld, 1923, The Santa Clauses, Arnold, A Black Lady Sketch Show
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 7 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • National Indigenous Women's Resource Center: Women Are Sacred Conference
    Phoenix
    United States
    June 26, 2023
    Private Screening for Conference Attendees
Director Biography - Mikaela Bruce

As a narrative filmmaker, Mikaela is drawn to stories that deal with our fragile humanity. Her films examine the manner in which the struggles and pain of life are intimately woven together with the beauty and hope of our human experience. Her films touch on the darkness and suffering in the world - and in our own hearts - while pointing to the truest hope and deepest healing.

Mikaela holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film Production from the University of Hawaii where she completed a degree internship on the set of “LOST.” She also holds a Master’s degree in Screenwriting for Film and Television from Carlos III University in Madrid, Spain. Mikaela spent 9 years in Spain working as a writer, director, and producer. Her time in Europe has had a great impact on her artistic sensibilities as well as bringing her into the world of Spanish language cinema. Mikaela and her husband, cinematographer Junior Pereira, currently live in Los Angeles.

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Director Statement

In “Not Afraid’ we explore grief, resilience and family through the lens of an indigenous family in Montana that has recently lost a young female family member to the crisis known as “MMIW” (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). While we are telling a contained, intimate story of a young girl and her aunt, we simultaneously touch upon a larger issue that plagues Native American communities through the US and Canada.

As director, I was aware of this issue of MMIW for many years but it was when I moved to Montana in 2022 that I realized afresh the gravity of the situation. I had previously made a film on sex trafficking in 2018, (Pasarea), and when learning about MMIW I immediately recognized similarities in the ways that vulnerable women are exploited and preyed upon. I felt an urgency to bring this community and this situation to the screen.

While living in Montana I befriended Jen Buckley-Murphy, a Native Montana (Chippewa/Cree) activist, artist, and also our Executive Producer and tribal liaison to Montana tribal communities. Through our deep connection, and with her full support, I feel on the deepest level that we have a responsibility to support vulnerable women through all means available to us - including through the arts.

As Jen said, “When we have the ability and the resources to support an important work, it is always the right thing to do.”

Later, award-winning producer and co-writer, v.c. rhone (Choctaw) came onboard and was instrumental in re-drafting the greenlit version of the script and securing the cast. It was important that we attach and employ Native women.

Both v.c. and I create content that thrives and expands within the social impact entertainment space. Our hope is that NOT AFRAID will connect with audiences in such a way that it will begin a movement to influence public policy in support of better coordination with reservations to provide resources to help eradicate human trafficking and the MMIW crisis.