Filming the Proof of Concept

Before we make the feature, we’re going to show what it can be.

What is a Proof of Concept?

A proof of concept, or POC, is a short professionally produced film designed to demonstrate how a larger project will look, feel, and work on screen.

For Hides the Fire, we are producing an approximately five-minute narrative film drawn from the feature screenplay. It is not a trailer or a documentary. It is a small piece of the movie — with actors, locations, cinematography, sound, wardrobe, and production values that demonstrate the tone and potential of the feature.

Why Are We Making It?

A screenplay asks people to imagine the movie. A proof of concept lets them see it.

The POC will give producers, financiers, and other potential partners a tangible sense of the story, its characters, the New Mexico setting, and the filmmaking team behind it.

It also gives us an opportunity to demonstrate something central to Hides the Fire: a compelling narrative thriller can bring the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis to audiences who might never seek out a documentary or news report about it.

Where and When?

The Hides the Fire proof of concept is scheduled to film Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Mortenson Eaves Movie Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The historic Western movie ranch provides the working film-set environment for this part of the story.

Who Is Making It?

A New Mexico-based production team led by director Michelle Tomlinson and director of photography James Blackburn is creating the POC, with Native and non-Native actors and filmmakers working together on the project.

Much of the cast and crew is donating their time and talent because they believe in the project and in the importance of bringing greater visibility to the MMIP crisis.

What Happens Next?

Once filming is complete, the footage moves into editing, sound, music, color, and final post-production.

The finished POC becomes our calling card for the feature.

We will use it to approach experienced producers, production companies, financiers, and other partners capable of helping move Hides the Fire from screenplay to feature film.

The screenplay tells them what we want to make.
The proof of concept shows them.

A New Mexico feature film about a missing Indigenous girl—and what happens when Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities work together to bring her home.

A G-rated dramatic thriller inspired by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis.