Made-in-Manitoba documentary explores MMIW issue in Canada

A new made-in-Manitoba documentary explores how and why many indigenous women and girls go missing or are murdered in Canada and looks at the similarities in their cases.

Part one of the film, titled 1200+, premiered on Thursday night at the Adam Beach Film Institute in Winnipeg.

• INTERACTIVE |Missing & Murdered:Unsolved cases of indigenous women and girls
• Aboriginal women more likely to suffer violent death, RCMP says
• Number of murdered, missing aboriginal women surprises top Mountie
• MMIW an election issue for all Canadians, advocates say

The documentary was co-produced by Sheila North Wilson, a former journalist who's now grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the organization representing northern First Nations in the province.

North Wilson said the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women affects everyone in society and she says that's the film's takeaway.

"We all have a part to come up with some of the solutions and find the answers for these cases because we're all connected in some way," she said.

"I think all of us are affected in some way and we all have to deal with it, even though we might not admit it."

The number 1,200 in the documentary's titlerepresents the RCMP'sofficialestimate on the number of missing and murdered women and girls across the country.

However, Wilson said in speaking with families, it's believedthe number is actually closer to 3,000.