Native Ball on PBS Celebrates a Trailblazing Heritage This November

By Family Theater Productions

Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer, the award-winning half-hour documentary from Catholic faith-and-family-friendly production company Family Theater Productions – which brought you PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton, The Dating Project, and Catholic Central – airs on PBS beginning November 1, to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.

Blackfeet Nation’s Malia Kipp was a trailblazer. In 1992, only one of the roughly 5,000 American high-school girls who annually received a full-ride Division I basketball scholarship was a Native American: Kipp.

As a member of the University of Montana’s Lady Griz, Kipp faced challenges learning to live in two worlds, but she carried the burden with grace and grit. Described by her chief, Earl Old Person, as “a warrior,” she blazed an heroic and inspiring trail for other Indigenous girls to follow.

Native Ball expands on a story from the Emmy®-winning basketball documentary The House That Rob Built, from the same filmmakers at Family Theater Productions. The half-hour Native Ball has won awards from film festivals around the country, including the prestigious Cleveland International Film Festival, where it won the Programmers’ Choice Award for Best Short.

“Malia treasures her heritage as a member of the Blackfeet Nation,” said executive producer Reverend David Guffey, C.S.C., National Director of FTP, “but she also entered into the arena of NCAA basketball. She speaks of the struggles and tensions that arose but also demonstrated the courage and wisdom to be true to herself and her call.”

“Popes John Paul II and Francis both wrote of the value sports bring to a community, not just in exercise and entertainment, but also in their ability to bring diverse peoples together and to affirm important values.”

Says writer/director/producer Megan Harrington, who also played basketball as a Lady Griz, “I don’t know what’s in the story that isn’t for the faith audience! There is a tremendous amount of faith, hope, and love embodied in Malia’s journey.”

“Everybody has a story to tell,” said Kipp. “Everybody struggles; everybody goes through things. Megan wanted to tell my story, and she did it in such an awesome way.”

Native Ball will broadcast on over 80 PBS affiliates around the country in November and stream on PBS.org, the PBS app, and the PBS YouTube channel. To learn more about Native Ball and how to see it on a PBS channel near you, go to www.nativeball.com.

Watch the trailer for Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer below 👇

Click here if you cannot see the video above.

About Family Theater Productions

With media facilities on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, Family Theater Productions’ Emmy®, Gabriel and Christopher Award-winning media has engaged families since 1947 with stories that touch the heart.

The company’s current media offerings include feature films, TV series, video web series, and a popular faith-and-family-friendly entertainment blog. To see the company’s award-winning media, go to www.familytheater.org