The Bears on Pine Ridge | Official Trailer
THE BEARS ON PINE RIDGE (2023)
is a feature documentary project that covers a span of six years within an isolated Native American community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This cinematic piece, brought to you by Vision maker Media and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, offers viewers unprecedented access to a State-of-Emergency unfolding in South Dakota, where the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe grapples with a deeply troubling youth mental health crisis. With little to no assistance from the Federal Government, the burden of healing their community falls upon the resilient residents of Pine Ridge.
LOGLINE: The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has declared a “State of Emergency”, after an outbreak of youth suicides has devastated the community. Due to a lack of Federal assistance, residents have taken prevention efforts into their own hands. A tenacious Oglala Lakota elder takes charge, rallying the community to get involved, while empowering a resilient young group of suicide survivors to band together to help raise awareness.