By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there’s always more we can learn about them as people. We decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
Kate Beecroft’s film background may be in acting, but she was destined to be a cinematic storyteller. “When I was young, I loved writing stories. But I think the message that I got as a young girl was, ‘You like telling stories? Then you should be an actress!’ I didn’t even know it was possible to be a director and a writer until much later in my life,” she says. Beecroft enrolled in drama school in London, where she quickly discovered the types of people she actually wanted to see on screen. “I witnessed so much talent, people with such raw creativity and dedication but who weren’t getting opportunities because of their look or their lack of connections. And so I started writing roles for those people. For the unique faces and souls that I wanted to see on screen. That’s now become a huge part of my identity as a filmmaker.”
As a writer and director, Beecroft’s search for unique faces and souls would eventually lead her to South Dakota, where a chance meeting brought her to a ranch east of the town of Wall. Owned by a heavily tattooed, recently widowed young horse trainer named Tabatha Zimiga, the ranch and its residents — including Zimiga’s own daughter, Porshia, and other wayward teenagers who needed a place to stay — enchanted Beecroft so much that she made them the subject of her feature debut, East of Wall, which premiered in the NEXT section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. “The vast majority of my cast had never acted before or even seen a camera, and now we’re here!” says Beecroft. “And yes, this was about their lives, but it was fully scripted. We treated them like professional actors — they had to memorize their lines, recreate emotional moments, rising to the challenge in ways I was blown away by.”
The film — which won the Festival’s Audience Award: NEXT — sees Zimiga and her gaggle of horse-riding teens playing versions of their real selves, and in doing so, portraying identities not often seen on the big screen. “My biggest takeaway is that there is so much talent in this world. The next Meryl Streep could be at a bus stop in Idaho right now. But they don’t have connections, or don’t see it as a viable path, or whatever host of reasons that they’re undiscovered. I think it’s so important to get out of my own comfort zone as a filmmaker and take chances on people who inspire me. And I think people would be surprised at what’s possible,” explains Beecroft. “There’s so much undiscovered talent out there. We need new faces, new perspectives. Go find it.”
Read on to hear more from Beecroft, including who the director’s creative heroes are and what she found most challenging about filming on a remote ranch.
What was the biggest inspiration behind this film?
The cast. Those girls. The second I stepped foot on that ranch and saw their faces, it was as if I had been looking for them my whole life without knowing — there was such a wildness about them in a way I’d never seen before, certainly not on camera. I wanted to see their faces on film. It wasn’t because of how they looked or how they styled themselves; it was because their entire lives were displayed in their faces. The joy, the laughter, the intense heartache, and how they carried on despite it all. That really inspired me. They are incredible.
Describe who you want this film to reach.
Women and young girls. And I want people – the Tabbys of the world, people from marginalized corners of the country — to see this and feel like their story matters. That people are open and ready to listen to them. I remember Tabby once saying to me, “I guess I just want those girls who are sipping cocktails at some nice bar to step into my life, even just for one minute.”
Why does this story need to be told now?
There’s been such a resurgence in western films and shows, there’s this incredible comeback, but I haven’t seen any told by women and young girls.
Tell us an anecdote about casting or working with your actors.
It was a wild experience casting this film. The family was already cast because I knew I wanted them to play themselves. Still, the remaining roles were cast by spending months scouring the nearby towns — rodeos, grocery stores, local basketball games — trying to find the perfect people. The process, unfortunately, was not without excruciating heartbreak — we lost multiple cast members to drug addiction and charges, and one of our cast members was murdered on Pine Ridge a few weeks before filming. A devastating loss. That being said, it was vital to me that we cast within the community. Once we had our South Dakota cast, we brought on Wittney Horton to cast Roy Waters and Tracey. It was very important to me to have professional actors who were there to support the story and were excited to work with first-time actors. This led us to the wonderful Jennifer Ehle and Scoot McNairy, who both brought so much empathy and grace to the set and to their roles.
Your favorite part of making the film? Memories from the process?
One of the most unique things about this process is that I got to watch these kids grow up. It was five years from when I met them until now, and for it to culminate in premiering at Sundance is so special, and to be able to experience this process through their eyes.
To be honest, I could write a novel about all the crazy shit that I’ve witnessed with this cast after living with them for so many years. I mean, Tabby has a pet raccoon. But one memory that still makes me giggle is the main topic of our daily safety meetings: Tabby’s six attack dogs — Lucifer, Noose, Diablo, Rage, Spur, and Wicked. Our poor assistant director would have to run around screaming, begging everyone, “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE ATTACK DOGS.” I heard that plea a lot through the walkies.
What was a big challenge you faced while making this film?
Wrangling a bunch of feral teenagers! They are wild and very strong-willed, which is why they are spectacular. They never wanted to get off their horses. Our main filming location was their ranch, which is thousands of acres, so there was definitely a lot of time spent having PAs running around trying to lure them to set. Shoutout to the PAs!
Why is filmmaking important to you? Why is it important to the world?
For me, personally, films have the power to change my day, my month, even my year. They’re transformative in a lasting way. The films I’ve watched and loved have become such a part of my DNA and have broadened my world in ways that I can’t imagine where or who I’d be without those imprints. And for the world, I think films are a mirror, and it’s so important to see yourself or your community or your country reflected back to you, to make sense of yourself and the world around you.
What is something that all filmmakers should keep in mind in order to become better cinematic storytellers?
Don’t hold on too tight; you might miss the magic in front of you.
Who are your creative heroes?
Sarah Polley. Denis Villeneuve. Sean Baker.
What was the last thing you saw that you wish you made?
Dune: Part Two
One thing people don’t know about me is _____.
In my downtime, all I’m doing is reading fantasy book after fantasy book.
Which of your personal characteristics contributes most to your success as a storyteller?
To me, having the utmost empathy for the characters and actors is everything. But also for your crew. Your crew is helping you be a better filmmaker. Remember that.
Tell us about your history with Sundance Institute. When was the first time you engaged with us? Why did you want your film to premiere with us?
I’ve always dreamt of being involved with Sundance, so it’s such an incredible honor to be accepted into this legacy of some of my favorite films and filmmakers. It’s also so important to our cast, as so many of them are Native American, to be premiering somewhere that honors their community and culture.
Who was the first person you told when you learned you got into the Sundance Film Festival?
Tabby. I always knew if we were lucky enough to get into Sundance, Tabby would be my first call. Without her, none of this would have happened.
What’s your favorite film that has come from the Sundance Institute or Festival?
Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild from 2012. Still on my top five favorite films of all time.
