Nearly 5,000 high school girls' basketball players earn a full-ride Division I scholarship annually. In 1992, only one was Native American: Blackfeet Nation's Malia Kipp, whose full ride scholarship to become a University of Montana Lady Griz blazed trails and created a remarkable legacy for otherNative girls to follow in the years to come. 

Written and directed by Jonathan Cipiti and Megan Harrington, Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer has found a well-deserved home as a PBS documentary after a successful festival run that included prizes at Cleveland International Film Festival (Programmers' Choice Award), Port Townsend Film Festival (Most Inspiring Documentary), and Montana International Film Festival (Best Made in Montana Film). 

Native Ball vividly captures Kipp's challenge in living in two worlds and the pressure she had to succeed as such a trailblazer. The film further captures how the support of her family and community were vital. Kipp, who has been a registered nurse serving her community for 20+ years now, carried the burden with resilience, grace, and grit and proved to be successful on the court, in the classroom, and now in the life that has followed. 

In somewhat of a rarity, Native Ball has been programmed by all of the top 10 PBS networks with nearly 800 airdates, over 300 PBS stations/channels, and covers 86% of the country. That's remarkable. You can also view the film on the PBS homepage and Youtube channel. 

Inspiring and engaging, Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer is a short doc beautifully capturing lifelong story of determination, perserverance, and so much more. Go out of your way to watch this wonderful documentary.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic