The City of Longmont, in partnership with Longmont Public Media, is proud to announce the world premiere of Little By Little: Becoming Sister Cities, a new film documenting the complex story of heartbreak, friendship, trepidation, and ultimately trust that led to a first-of-its-kind formal relationship between a municipality and a sovereign tribal nation. The film will debut at the Longmont Museum’s Stewart Auditorium on Sunday, November 20, 2022, at 3pm. Members of the Sister Cities organization and the Northern Arapaho Tribe will be a part of a panel discussion following the viewing. There is no cost for attendance, but reservations are required. Visit bit.ly/littlebylittledoc to reserve your seat online or call the Longmont Museum front desk at 303-651-8374. 

Filmmakers captured over sixteen hours of footage from both Longmont and the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, which is home to the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. Along with stories of the Sister Cities journey, many interviewees opened up about the hardships of reservation life and their hopes for the future, including the promise and potential of the Sister Cities student exchange program.  

“Co-producing this documentary with the City of Longmont was an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Longmont Public Media executive producer Megan Lowery. “This is such an important story to tell, and we’re honored to have been a part of it.” 

With so many stories captured, filmmakers realized they would have to begin with the relationship that allowed for the telling of these stories: Becoming Sister Cities. This introductory documentary sets the stage for what filmmakers hope will be more films to come. 

To begin, this hour-long documentary prequel introduces the context for this historic Sister Cities relationship and focuses on the humor and humility that made the relationship possible. “I’m so thankful we were able to document our journey to becoming Sister Cities. I hope our story inspires other communities to reach out to displaced tribes and create opportunities to foster better relationships for the future. I am excited to share our story and to see how this relationship grows!” says Janice Rebhan, president of the Longmont Sister Cities Association.  

Visit the website to learn more about the Longmont Sister Cities association. 

Can’t make the live world premiere? Tune into Longmont Public Media’s YouTube channel, Channel 8, or Comcast Xfinity Channel 16 on Monday, November 21 at noon. Little by Little: Becoming Sister Cities will also be available to watch on the City of Longmont’s YouTube channel after the premiere.