In Alaska, distance shapes everything—how we live, how we connect, and sometimes, how justice unfolds.
With support from the Alaska Community Foundation’s Social Justice Fund, Affinity Films, Inc., created a one-hour documentary, In the Wake of Justice Delayed, which follows two families as they seek justice for murdered women in their lives. The film premiered in September 2025 and shines a light on how Alaska’s legal system, particularly for women and Alaska Native families, can unintentionally deepen harm through distance, delay, and complexity.
The grant provided flexibility to address increased production costs caused by repeated trial delays. Court dates shifted again and again, requiring constant adjustments, moving between Northwest Alaska and Palmer, traveling to remote communities to capture critical moments, or following proceedings virtually when in-person attendance wasn’t possible. Costs and timelines were difficult to predict, but the support made it possible to stay present when the story mattered most.
That commitment resulted in a completed film that tells a deeply human story with care and honesty.
As filming progressed, larger questions surfaced. Is the justice system equitable for women who experience violence or death? How does it serve families who must travel great distances to access courts and legal resources? And what is the cost—emotional, financial, and cultural—of waiting years for resolution?
The filmmakers witnessed families reliving trauma as trial dates were postponed. They saw the burden placed on those seeking justice while navigating unfamiliar legal language, shifting timelines, and limited support. In some communities, families continued to encounter the accused in everyday life while the legal process stretched on. These experiences reveal how the system itself can become part of the harm.
One moment grounded the film in place and reality. Traveling with Billi Jean Miller from Nome to Teller, the filmmakers saw firsthand what it would take for her family to attend the trial in Palmer – long drives on unpaved roads, flights, lodging, and time away from home. They met her niece, Starlette, who closely resembles her mother, Bobbi Jean. They visited the home where sixteen siblings were raised and stood together at Bobbi Jean’s grave.
From the moment troopers arrived with the words “regret to inform you” to the final conviction, five years had passed.
Through the Social Justice Fund, ACF supports work that listens closely, stays present, and elevates stories that ask hard questions because understanding is a step toward healing, accountability, and lasting change.
For Alaska. Forever.
Staff from the Alaska Community Foundation were honored to attend the special viewing of In the Wake of Justice Delayed at the Bear Tooth Theaterpub in 2025.
