Minnesota Mean

Directed By Dawn Mikkelson

"Minnesota Mean" follows the powerful women of the Minnesota RollerGirls for a season as they balance life, friendship, and roller derby.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS
  • PRESS
  • CREDITS

This isn't your typical sports tale—it's a raw and real look at the tough, independent women at the core of roller derby. It's a story of triumph and heartbreak, of strong women facing challenges with grit and determination. How do these fiercely independent women navigate a sport that demands teamwork? And how do they juggle the demands of roller derby without giving up on their personal dreams?

Dawn Mikkelson (Producer/Director/Editor) 3-time Emmy Award winning producer, and 2010 McKnight Filmmaking Fellow, Dawn Mikkelson’s work has broadcast on global television networks such as PBS, CBC, and Deutsche Welle and screened at dozens of top international film festival including: DOC NYC, Doc Edge, Mill Valley Film Festival, Cinequest, and Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. 2023/2024 American Film Diplomacy Program (US State Department & USC School of Cinematic Arts) participant and finalist of the Project Greenlight Digital Studios and Seed&Spark Untold Story Crowdfunding Rally, Mikkelson has completed seven award-winning independent feature documentaries, Minnesota Mean (2023), Finding Her Beat (2022), Risking Light (2018), The Red Tail (2009), Green Green Water (2007), THIS obedience (2003), and Treading Water: a documentary (1999), as well as branded content for Nonprofit, NGO, and Governmental partners including the European Union, the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and the Center for Victims of Torture. Based in Lake City, Minnesota, Mikkelson is a proud member of the Film Fatales, Film North, the IDA (Independent Documentary Association), and the DPA (Documentary Producers Alliance), as Co-Representative of the Midwest Region and Member of the Ethics Working Group.

Florida Film Festival 2023

Cinequest 2023

New Jersey Film Festival 2023

Centre Film Festival 2023

Ely Film Festival 2024

Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival - Best of Fest 2023

Duluth Superior Film Festival - Northern Voices Award 2023

Frozen River Film Festival - Best Minnesota Film 2024

Big Water Film Festival - Best Documentary 2024

""does what excellent films do. . . you might even wear face paint" - 8/10"
Film Threat
""a feminist masterpiece""
New Jersey Stage
""They are a new level of heroine. By the end of the doc, the audience will be rooting for the team as much as their fans onscreen.""
The Black Cape
""a riotous tribute to the women who create community through rough-and-tumble, high-speed exhileration""
MINNPOST
""vividly portrays victory, defeat, perseverance, determination, and the ongoing quest to balance personal identity and a sense of community""
Overly Honest Movie Reviews

Director/Producer - Dawn Mikkelson

Music - Dessa