Award-winning film showcases Blackfeet's Malia Kipp

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Montana PBS airs "Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer," a half-hour documentary profiling Blackfeet Lady Griz basketball player Malia Kipp, on Nov.2 at 7:30 p.m. The film was produced by Family Theater Entertainment.

Kipp was a trailblazer. In 1992, only one of the roughly 5,000 American high-school girls who annually received a full-ride Division I basketball scholarship was a Native American: Kipp alone.

As a member of the Lady Griz, Kipp faced challenges learning to live in two worlds, but she carried the burden with grace and grit. Described by her chief, Earl Old Person, as "a warrior," she blazed an heroic and inspiring trail for other Indigenous girls to follow.

Ray Ekness, who serves as Director, Broadcast Media Center, UM-Missoula, and a General Manager of Montana PBS, is an executive producer of this film. Said Ekness, "Montana PBS is proud to partner with the great storytellers at Family Theater Productions and to present the outstanding story of Malia Kipp to our Montana viewers. It's the mission of Montana PBS to share diverse stories to connect our citizens and discover common ground while celebrating the independent spirit and beauty of Montana. Native Ball fits that mission perfectly."

The film made its premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula in February 2023. It comes from Emmy Award-winning producer/director/writer Megan Harrington. A Montana native, she also produced The House That Rob Built, about longtime Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig, who recruited Kipp from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning.

"Everybody has a story to tell," said Kipp. "Everybody struggles; everybody goes through things. Megan wanted to tell my story, and she did it in such an awesome way."

"I feel blessed," said Harrington, who also played for the Lady Griz, "that Malia trusted us to tell her story. It was a privilege we didn't take lightly. She is heroic in so many ways."

Native Ball has landed awards at film festivals around the country, including the prestigious Cleveland International Film Festival, where it won the Programmers' Choice Award for Best Short, and the Montana International Film Festival, where it won Best Made In Montana Film.

Along with its airing on Montana PBS, Native Ball will broadcast on over 80 PBS affiliates around the country in November and stream on PBS.org, the PBS app, and the PBS YouTube channel. To learn more about Native Ball and how to see it on Montana PBS,

go to watch.montanapbs.org/show/native-ball-legacy-of-a-trailblazer/

Additionally, in-person screenings are taking place across Montana including a FREE PBS premier event in Missoula on Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Montana in the UC Ballroom with a reception to follow.