The team behind Alaska’s Lost Women, a documentary examining the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis, discussed raising awareness of disproportionate violence against Native women at the Variety FYC TV Fest on May 6th.
The panel, made up of the show’s executive producers Christina Douglas, Matt Robbins, and Octavia Spencer, was in conversation with Variety magazine’s senior journeyman editor Jazz Tankay.
Douglas, who is an Indigenous woman herself, emphasized her personal ties and long-term commitment to this issue. “I’ve always wanted to bring Native American stories to the screen,” said Douglas, who grew up on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, New York. “And with my experience with real crimes, I thought, ‘I can use my platform to shine a light on these cases and spread awareness.'”
Robbins supported Douglas’ statement, saying, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime story. Frankly, I think we were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to tell it.” Robbins added that the element of mystery and true crime was part of the appeal, along with the opportunity to “shed a light on what the crisis is in Alaska,” as Native women are 10 times more likely to be victims of homicide than white women.
“It made sense,” Spencer agreed, adding, “There was something beautiful and powerful about the community coming together…because there are so many other voices that haven’t been silenced and haven’t found justice.”
The group discussed their advocacy work and credited Douglas with his pre-existing relationships with many of the people who would eventually become part of the documentary. “This community has been through a lot and they haven’t been heard,” Douglas said. “Sometimes they feel like their stories are being exploited or misrepresented. It was really important that we approach this issue with information, listening, and understanding that we will never fully understand the nuances of their lives, their survival circumstances, and what they went through.”
A key turning point in the documentary came when the team filmed an interview with the perpetrator, Brian Smith, in prison, hoping to “give him a chance to bring closure to the families he hurt. Will he give up on the location of the body of one of his victims, which remains undiscovered to this day?”
The panel also spoke about the courage shown by Amber Butts, the advocate and attorney who interviewed Mr. Smith, saying, “She also represents several other characters in our film who bravely took a risk to come forward with the information that led to his incarceration for 226 years.”
The conversation ended with a call to the team to share missing person cases on social media to raise awareness.
“It was a highlight for Douglas to see locals in Anchorage, Alaska saying, ‘I feel seen. This is my story being told.'” “This is not Alaska. This is the frontier of great adventure. This is what it’s like to be in the city of Anchorage. This is the local experience.”
