New roller derby movie Minnesota Mean gears up for West Coast premiere
Minnesota Mean follows a tumultuous year in the lives of six core members of the Minnesota RollerGirls, one of the most competitive roller derby teams in the world, as they strive to win the Hydra, the top prize in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby.
When the star of the team gets injured, will her teammates find their own power? Minnesota Mean is a riveting human drama about the pounding heart of roller derby: powerful, self-sufficient women from all walks of life and identity (straight, gay, trans, etc.). It’s a vital and relevant story of triumph, loss, strength, determination, and a search for balance between individuality and community. How do women who pride themselves on their hard-won independence thrive in a sport that requires them to rely on a team? How do they meet the full-time demands of the sport without sacrificing their own dreams for life outside the rink?
Minnesota Mean also features a soundtrack is 90% by Dessa, who has an extraordinarily strong following in the United States and the UK, with an aggressive but thoughtful style of hip hop. She’s also host of BBC podcast Deeply Human.
LGBTQ documentarian and filmmaker Dawn Mikkelson says she was inspired to make the film because the sport is about “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.”
Minnesota Mean starts screenings in August. For a schedule of dates as well as tickets, go here.
