FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA RELEASES ROLLER DERBY DOCUMENTARY “MINNESOTA MEAN”

Roller Derby-Focused Sports Documentary Debuts on North America VOD Platforms and DVD on July 2, 2024

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, July 2, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has acquired North American VOD rights to the roller derby documentary MINNESOTA MEAN, which will be available to rent/own on all North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms, as well as on DVD, starting on July 2, 2024, through Freestyle Digital Media.

The documentary MINNESOTA MEAN takes viewers into the thrilling world of roller derby, following the lives of six badass women as they chase after the ultimate prize, the Hydra. When the team’s top player gets sidelined with an injury, the question looms large: can they still clinch the victory? This isn’t a typical sports tale—it’s a raw and real look at the tough, independent women at the core of roller derby. A triumphant tale of grit and determination that shows how fierce women navigate a sport that demands teamwork as they juggle the demands of roller derby without giving up on their personal dreams.

Produced and directed by Dawn Mikkelson, MINNESOTA MEAN features roller derby athletes Brickyard, Hurtrude Stein, Smoka Hontas, Shiver Me Kimbers, Diamond Rough, and Switch Please. MINNESOTA MEAN also features the music of indie hip-hop artist Dessa.

“Being embedded with the Minnesota Roller Derby made for one of the most exciting years of my life. The strength and vulnerability the team shared with our cameras is a testament to the spirit of roller derby,” said Director Dawn Mikkelson. “These athletes are powerful, playful, and brutally honest, with a fierce commitment to one another. The film is full of the unexpected and intimate portrayals of these athletes’ lives, offering an inside look at their journeys both on and off the track. I hope MINNESOTA MEAN inspires more women and gender-expansive folks to join their local roller derby team and reimagine what power and community look like.”

Freestyle Digital Media negotiated the deal to acquire MINNESOTA MEAN directly with filmmaker Dawn Mikkelson and her production company Emergence Pictures.

MINNESOTA MEAN trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO5aNn6RG4k

MINNESOTA MEAN website: www.minnesotameanfilm.com

About Freestyle Digital Media
The digital distribution unit of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi- platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, satellite, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record, and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films. Recent releases include THE ROAD DOG starring comedian Doug Stanhope, SURVIVE starring HBO’s GAME OF THRONES star Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, the music documentary profiling blues guitar legends Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan, BROTHERS IN BLUES, DEAR ZOE starring Sadie Sink from the hit Netflix series STRANGER THINGS, Jessica Capshaw and Theo Rossi. Other Freestyle Digital Media titles include BEST SUMMER EVER the teen musical featuring a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, THE WEDDING YEAR starring Sarah Hyland and Anna Camp, THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH starring Danny Houston, UNTOGETHER starring Jamie Dornan, Jemima Kirke, Ben Mendelsohn, Alice Eve and Billy Crystal, the action-comedy BETTER START RUNNING starring Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons and Maria Bello, THE BACHELORS starring Academy Award-winner J.K. Simmons, Julie Delpy and Odeya Rush and the award-winning documentary HONDROS produced by Jamie Lee Curtis and Jake Gyllenhaal.

About Director Dawn Mikkelson
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 that amplify our shared humanity, 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 (2001), 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. www.emergencepictures.com

For more information, visit:
www.allenmedia.tv
www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv

Eric Peterkofsky
Allen Media Group/Freestyle Digital Media
[email protected]