A Native women's advocacy group says they haven't seen any of the royalty money they were promised by the director of the 2017 film, Wind River. The Weinstein Company distributed the film, but since then, that company has been bought out.
The film was about the rape and murder of a Northern Arapaho woman, and came out just before Harvey Weinstein, the film's distributing company owner, was accused of sexual assault by numerous women. That's when the film's director Taylor Sheridan announced he would donate distribution royalties to the nonprofit National Indigenous Women's Resource Center in Montana.
The Weinstein Company was bought out by Lantern Entertainment and the advocacy group says it's unclear whether that company will honor the promise to donate distribution royalties from the film. The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center is among many entities that are caught up in the financial woes that Lantern inherited, and it's questionable whether they'll ever see any of what they were promised. The Weinstein Company declared bankruptcy, clearing them of any obligation to stand by the promise.
The advocacy group says they continue to remain in good communication with director Taylor Sheridan and his staff.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
