‘Minnesota Mean’ brings flat-track roller derby to the screen

CATHY WURZER: Glad you're with us here on Minnesota Now. I'm Cathy Wurzer. A new documentary now streaming gives an inside look at the world of Minnesota roller derby. It's called Minnesota Mean. Here's a clip.

KIMBERLY FOSTER: My name is Kimberly Foster and also known as Shiver Me Timbers.

SPEAKER: 5, 6, 7, Shiver Me Timbers!

KIMBERLY FOSTER: When you join derby, you have to come up with a nickname of some sorts, and I had no clue where to start, so we picked some themes. Shiver Me Timbers and Agent Kraken were actually the top two, although now it's kind of interesting because I have more pirate things in my house than I ever have in my life and the majority of which were given to me, not purchased.

It's changed my life. I used to smoke a pack and a half a day. I don't smoke anymore because it gets in the way of my goals. I mean, I'm strong. Like, I have muscle. Like, things like that are awesome to me. My thighs are rocks.

CATHY WURZER: The documentary follows six women on the Minnesota roller derby team over the course of a season. It won Best of Fest at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival last year. Joining us right now is the director, producer, and editor of the film, Dawn Mikkelson. Dawn, how are you?

DAWN MIKKELSON: I am great. Thank you for having me, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: I remember talking to you about this film years ago. Years ago.

[LAUGHTER]

Yes, and you got it done. Good for you. I mean, you even quit your day job to make this film.

[LAUGHTER]

Why was it important to you to make this doc?

DAWN MIKKELSON: I think it's all about reframing who we are as women and non-binary folks and claiming our space. And as a mom now of a nine-year-old and an 11-year-old girl, there's something to be said for having an example for them of what it could be like to live fully in your body who you are. And that's exactly what Minnesota roller derby players do.

CATHY WURZER: Let me kind of explore that a little bit further here. You could have done a doc on some other sport dealing with women, but you did roller derby. And I remember as a kid watching roller derby on TV-- and I did love it, by the way. Why focus on this team?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Well, I mean, first of all, as a filmmaker, derby is just fun. There's no other sport where you've got players named Shiver Me Timbers and Hertrude Stein, you know? So for those of us who are delighted by that kind of thing, it's hard not to pass up.

Also, a friend of mine, Lisa, started skating with them under the name BerNasty. And so I was introduced to that community in a more direct way through her experience. And it was just like, this is a family. These are incredibly interesting women. I mean, this is a volunteer sport. So--

CATHY WURZER: Oh.

DAWN MIKKELSON: --the things they have to do in order to be a derby player, plus their day jobs, it was so compelling to me as a storyteller. So it had to be derby.

CATHY WURZER: I didn't realize there was a culture around roller derby. Makes sense.

DAWN MIKKELSON: Absolutely.

CATHY WURZER: That makes sense. Try to explain that for folks.

DAWN MIKKELSON: Sure. I mean, for one thing, it's a very inclusive culture. So, gender identity, you choose what league you're on, right? So the Women's League has players who identify as trans, as they/them, as she/her. It is primarily she/her, but this community is open to you self-defining. I think that there is a level of support in this community that is just so powerful. And it's playful. Again, the names. [LAUGHS]

CATHY WURZER: Right, right. I love the names. It's playful. But hey, come on. It's kind of tough out there. I mean, is that why we decided-- we decided-- you decided to call it Minnesota Mean?

DAWN MIKKELSON: [LAUGHS] Well, and yes. And that was kind of their nickname as they were going through the season. There's an A team and a B team. And the B team were always Minnesota Nice, and the A team were known for being tough. They were known for being a hitting team.

We have a bunch of former hockey players out on roller skates, so they've been dying for full contact sports. So [LAUGHS] it just seemed appropriate to call them Minnesota Mean, and yeah. [LAUGHS]

CATHY WURZER: Yeah, it does get tough out there, we should say. It can be a little difficult when it comes to some of the hits. And I understand you did have roller derby teams from around the country screened the film?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Mm-hmm.

CATHY WURZER: Why did you do that?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Well so that was really to give back to the community. I think that this is a sport that took a big hit, no pun intended, because of COVID. It's a volunteer sport. They lost a lot of their funds and a lot of their energy. And so they're rebuilding.

And so when this film came out when it did, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to partner with these teams around the country. So they've been doing screenings since January. We could have released it online streaming in January, but I wanted to give the team six months to utilize it as a fundraising and outreach tool, so that we can rebuild derby together. I want this community to exist for my girls. And in fact, my 11-year-old is playing junior derby now. So I'm hedging my bets here a little bit.

CATHY WURZER: What? Really? Oh, my goodness. And you're good with that, even though it can get a little bit rough?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Oh, yeah. No, I mean, seeing her find strength in her body, is, it makes this mama very happy to say that.

CATHY WURZER: Good, good. I'm glad also that music in the film, Dessa and Doomtree-- good. I'm really happy about that. Why-- well, Dessa, we love her. Why did you choose her to be the soundtrack?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Well, I'd been listening to her while we were making this film, and it always was like kind of the soundtrack of my edits. And I actually used it as temporary tracks when I was editing it. And then at some point, I just reached out to her team, who I'd worked with Doomtree in the past for Risking Light, actually, for some tracks.

And so I reached out to them and said, what are the chances we can get some Dessa music? And she was open to it. And so, yeah, and it's great because, for Dessa fans, a lot of the music in this film are songs that have lyrics that we all know, but the lyrics have been removed, and those are kind of backtracks. So, it's secret little Easter eggs for Dessa fans.

And then when her lyrics do come on, I mean, she's a writer who really is about both being powerful and vulnerable at the same time, which is, it's derby. That's absolutely derby.

CATHY WURZER: Mm-hmm. So I mentioned, of course, it's been screening at festivals and doing really, really well. Yesterday, it premiered as a screener-- as a streamer, excuse me. You can tell I'm tired. So, much wider audience, right? So how does that work for you? How does it feel?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Oh, my gosh. I am so excited. It's so fun to watch the derby community online rally around this film. And they're sharing it with each other. And at the end of the day, that's what you want as a filmmaker, right, is for the audience to embrace the film and be excited and see themselves in it. And this is the fun part for me. This is why we do it in many ways, is that moment where a community sees themselves and appreciates and feels good about the representation, right? I can't imagine anything better.

CATHY WURZER: Now, you, of course, have been busy. I mentioned that you've been working on this for a while. You mentioned Risking Light. I'm glad you brought that up. You've been incredibly busy. But knowing you, you probably have at least 18 other projects in your back pocket. So what are you working on right now?

DAWN MIKKELSON: [LAUGHS] Yeah, it's about 18. I'm producing a number of films with Keri Pickett, who is my co-director for Finding Her Beat, which was the previous film.

CATHY WURZER: Yes.

DAWN MIKKELSON: And so I'm spending a lot of time with her because that woman is prolific as well. And so I'm trying to help her get those films out into the world in the next couple of years. And then I'm developing a number of projects, including, I still have a passion for derby and would love to see a series come out of this. So, I'm pitching it when I can.

CATHY WURZER: Have you ever considered-- do you skate, by the way?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Oh, gosh, no.

[LAUGHTER]

I'm terrified. After all this empowerment conversation, I'm like, nope, nope, no skating for me.

CATHY WURZER: So nobody said, come on, Dawn, you got to go ahead and put some skates on and take a few whirls around the--

DAWN MIKKELSON: No.

CATHY WURZER: OK, all right.

DAWN MIKKELSON: No, they saw the look on my face, and they knew that that was not an option. But they did give me a derby name at the world premiere last year. So my derby name is Dawn of the Dead.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, that makes complete sense.

DAWN MIKKELSON: So, proud of that.

CATHY WURZER: I do like that. That's good. Great descriptor. And now, by the way, where can people stream it? Everywhere?

DAWN MIKKELSON: Pretty much everywhere. I mean, the main places are going to be Apple and Amazon. That's where most folks are at. But you can find a link on our website to a host of different streaming options if those two don't work for you.

CATHY WURZER: And that would be minnesotameanfilm.com.

DAWN MIKKELSON: Correct.

CATHY WURZER: I got that right. Always fun talking to you, my friend. Thank you. Best of luck.

DAWN MIKKELSON: Thank you.

CATHY WURZER: You're just the best. Thank you.

DAWN MIKKELSON: Aw, thank you. You, too.

CATHY WURZER: Dawn Mikkelson is the director, producer, editor of the documentary Minnesota Mean, which is now streaming, as you heard. And I appreciate you listening to Minnesota Now on this day before the 4th of July holiday weekend.

I hope you all have a pleasant and a safe 4th of July holiday weekend. I know it's going to rain, so just try to do what you can outside in between the rain drops. Just keep an ear for any weather warnings that may erupt over the next 24 to 36 hours. Thanks for joining us. Have a good day. This is MPR News.