Up Heartbreak Hill

Year: 2011
Country: USA
Run Time: 88 minutes

In Navajo, New Mexico many students at Reservation High School dream of going away to college, but most may never get the chance. UP HEARTBREAK HILL is a documentary chronicling the journey of three promising students and track teammates as they inch closer to their future. Thomas is a state champion runner who longs for a chance to run in college, but struggles over whether to leave his father behind. Tamara is salutatorian of her class who wishes to meet up with her best friend at a school in Colorado. Gabby is an aspiring photographer trying to balance her future with the life she lives on the reservation. Intimate and touching, this film relishes in taking the viewer on an against-the-odds journey facing many of our nations' Native American youth. UP HEARTBREAK HILL provides a look into the efforts each student makes for a chance to leave, and the decisions they face for the future of their families and friends. In a place where you can run toward your dreams, we witness, first-hand, the drama that goes with trying to balance your opportunities with your heritage. –T.W.

• Tweet