On windswept hills surrounded by the bluffs of the Lakota Badlands sits the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. For the native youth, living here can be a struggle – the teen suicide rate is among the highest in the country. But many have found hope and purpose in the traditional sport of horse racing known as “Indian Relay.” We follow one teen racing team, named Dancing Warrior, who come together to compete and support each other as they face the challenges of life on the reservation. Witness the coming-of-age-story of Lakota teens, as they find strength in tradition and passion in competition.
DIRECTORS
Rachel McDonald
Rachel McDonald is an award-winning director and writer whose work spans commercials, music videos, documentaries, and narrative films. Born in a small coastal town in Mississippi, she has traveled to world to capture inspiring stories in locations such as Jordan, Uganda, Morocco, Nicaragua, Chile, and Egypt.
Rachel’s debut short film "Thirst," starring Melanie Griffith, premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival (2014) and won at the Emerging Cinematographer’s Awards. Her film "Behind the Post" for the One Love Foundation won a Silver Cannes Lion and is used in educational programs on relationship abuse in schools across the United States. Her narrative short "Hermanos," which follows the journey of two immigrant children escaping a detention center, premiered at the Social Justice Now Festival (2020) and her short documentary "Dancing Warrior," about a Lakota youth horse racing team, premiered at the Mountain Film Festival in 2024.
In commercials, Rachel has been recognized with the following awards: Cannes Lion (Film Craft), Webby Awards, LIA Awards, Voice of a Woman Award, Source Creative Top 100 Spots, Shorty Awards, The One Show (Craft Direction), Addys (Gold and Bronze), and Cresta Awards. She has directed global campaigns for major brands like BMW, Mercedes, Ikea, Toyota, Ford, Facebook, Gatorade, Volkswagen, Cadillac, Chevy, Microsoft, and HP, among others.
Rachel’s deep love for the craft of filmmaking and her innate ability to tell human stories is apparent in all of her work.
Peter Goetz
Peter Goetz is a film & television director, producer, and EP with twenty years of experience working with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Nat Geo and more. His innate love for adventure is palpable. The California native and UC Berkeley alum started his career working on “Survivor,” traveling to the most remote corners of the globe as the youngest producer of the groundbreaking series. Since then, Peter's work includes the supervision, development, production, and delivery of a vast range of subjects. He believes in producing content with purpose, and strives to bring entertaining, authentic stories to the screen.
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Amado Parame Stachenfeld
Amado Parame Stachenfeld is a cinematographer working in commercials, television, narrative and documentary films. His eye for unique frames and cinematic approach to storytelling distinguishes him as a contemporary filmmaker. For more than a decade, Amado has collaborated with notable brands such as Nike, Patagonia, New Balance, Chevrolet and countless others. He was the lead cinematographer for Apple TV’s “Dear X” series starring Jane Goodall. Amado’s other films include “Dancing Warrior”, “Hermanos”, “Spoons” and “Return to Zero”. His work has taken him from the dunes of Chile to the snowy mountains of Hokkaido to the beaches of Mozambique all in the pursuit of visual storytelling. With a sensitivity for human connection, Amado captures stories in a way that highlights our shared humanity.
SAGE TO SADDLE
Sage to Saddle, with the support of the Pine Ridge community, hopes to provide an indoor horse riding arena for kids from 8-18 years old with an after school program focused on equine relationships and the responsibilities horse care involves.
Their goals are simple due to the factors at hand. On a reservation the size of Rhode Island and Delaware live herds of horses ready to ride and large sections of tribal land. Combine that with long, dark winters often averaging frigid temps and a youth population with a hereditary desire to bond with animals 10 times their size.