Bobbie Birleffi was born and raised in Wyoming and the state has always held a special place in her heart no matter where she was in the world.
“I've lived all over the United States and would meet people who had never been to Wyoming,” Birleffi said. “They would ask me what it was like and in a way, that is how this whole project got started.”
Jeanne Begley, Birleffi’s co-director, had heard Birleffi extolling the virtues of Wyoming and suggested that they should do a documentary about the kids of the Wind River. Birleffi knew it was going to take commitment but was excited for the challenge. The two started filming in 2018.
The result was “Generation Warrior,” a documentary that followed the lives of eight young Natives from the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming over five years. The film premieres on Wyoming PBS at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will “explore what it takes to live as a warrior today.”
According to the description, the film weaves the stories of the eight tribal members together over a four-year period as they grow into adulthood. Their path begins with innocence and hope, but as they struggle through loss, hardship and life altering decisions, the question Birleffi explores is if their warrior spirit and native identity will help them persevere in an ever-changing world.
The Vision
“The central theme throughout this is them being able to retain their cultural ties and their spiritual connections to their communities and their families throughout all of these adversities and these challenges that they face through young adulthood,” producer Lynette St. Clair told Cowboy State Daily in June during the first screening of the film.
For the young people themselves, they want people to know that they are no different from anyone else in America.
“We are normal people living life and just trying to get by,” Hudda Curry said.
Curry was a teenage basketball player when he met Birleffi and her film crew. He agreed to be a part of the project along with Darious Tillman, Halle Robinson, Taylee Dresser, Gene Trosper, Gabby St. Clair, and Carmen and Matthew Underwood.
“As we interviewed them, we began to understand the story, but honestly, we didn't know what direction it would take,” Birleffi said.
Birleffi explained that the unknown factor is greater than the known and they could not plan how the story would unfold.
“It was just belief and determination,” Birleffi said.
She started by meeting with Wyoming PBS and then met her two future producers, Lynette St. Clair and Jordan Dresser.
“We were just seeing what was there and we met about 18 families,” Birleffi said. “I just had a little handheld camera, and it was almost love at first sight where we knew these kids wanted to talk.”
During the entire process, she was simultaneously filming and fundraising.
Five Years of Hard Work
By 2019, Birleffi had raised enough money to create a sizzle for the documentary, and this caught the attention of funders so she could continue the project. She kept in contact with all the kids through Covid by texting and made sure the conversations never stopped, no matter what obstacles they ended up facing.
Birleffi secured the funding she needed for production through the Hughes Foundation, Wyoming Humanities Council, and other individuals. She continued to come to Wyoming each year to interview and catch up with the families they were following.
“We hadn't secured post-production, so we just kept constantly fundraising,” Birleffi said. “We were just fortunate that we were able to come to the finish line with a film.”
With Begley’s knowledge producing reality shows and Birleffi’s fundraising, the pair were able to finish their passion project without going into debt.
“It's of a very high quality and has a lot of bells and whistles,” Birleffi said. “The kids open up about their lives and it's beautiful, yet also deep.”
“Generation Warrior” is a documentary that followed the lives of eight Native youth from the Wind River Indian Reservation. A special screening was hosted at the Central Wyoming College and the film will now premier on Wyoming PBS on Dec. 9. (Courtesy Bobbie Birleffi) 
Producer Bobbie Birleffi has spent four years filming eight teenagers as they navigated growing up and facing life’s challenges. She showed the film at the LA Skins Film Festival and will be showcasing it at future film festivals. The documentary will premier on Wyoming PBS Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. (Courtesy Bobbie Birleffi) 
Producer Bobbie Birleffi has spent four years filming eight teenagers as they navigated growing up and facing life’s challenges. She showed the film at the LA Skins Film Festival and will be showcasing it at future film festivals. The documentary will premier on Wyoming PBS Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. (Courtesy Bobbie Birleffi)
Emotional Impact
During the filming, Birleffi said each time she came back, the families were more open.
“They saw that we came back and that we care about them,” Birleffi said. “We started building trust and they almost feel like my own grandkids."
She had watched them all grow from their late teen awkwardness into young adults which tugged at her heart.
“They grew up right before our eyes,” Birleffi said. “We were able to capture some of the really difficult obstacles that they went through and to come out the other end.”
Birleffi said that the fact that they trusted her to tell their stories also helped her grow as both a person and as a director.
“I learned a lot about family and the tribal community,” Birleffi said. “What it meant to these kids to be able to rely on their families through hard times.”
She said that to hear a young person going through the heartache of a family member committing suicide and other trauma in their families was heart-breaking.
“It’s a journey where we just bonded with them,” Birleffi said. “I felt they were telling something for the first time in a certain way and it's a big deal to think that I've been able to experience this culture in this way.”
Birleffi said that Halle and Hudda are good examples of watching someone grow. Halle was an athlete and held a 4.2 grade average. She had been dating Hudda for two years and brought him into the filming project.
“He’s this really super-duper adorable, tall basketball player,” Birleffi said. “We followed them along and they ended up having a really tough time.”
In fact, Halle had considered backing out at one point but ended up seeing the documentary through.
“If you want to know what young people are like in Wyoming right now, this is a must watch,” Birleffi said. “We’ve had a lot of non-Native people watch that are their age and really respond to it.”
Birleffi said that the documentary strikes a chord with young people from all over Wyoming.
“It's that warrior attitude about going forward in life and making things happen and overcoming adversity through their courage and their bravery,” St. Clair said. “They're out there making life happen and not just living life.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
