Tabatha Zimiga

Tabatha Zimiga

Tabatha Zimiga is an American actress, horse trainer, and rancher from the Lakota nation, who is known for starring as a fictionalized version of herself in the 2025 film East of Wall. The film, which she stars in alongside her real-life daughter Porshia Zimiga, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.The film, a hybrid of documentary and narrative, is based on the real lives of Zimiga and her family in the Badlands of South Dakota. In the movie, her character Tabatha is a horse trainer and rancher who is struggling to make ends meet after the death of her husband. She and a group of "wayward" teens, whom she has taken in, train and rehabilitate rescued horses. The film explores themes of family, community, and economic hardship on the Great Plains.Zimiga, who is a non-professional actress, was praised by critics for her natural and powerful performance. The film's director, Kate Beecroft, has spoken about how Zimiga's deep connection to the land and the horses she works with was essential to the film's authenticity. Zimiga has also spoken about the film's importance in telling the stories of her community and the resilience of Native Americans on the reservation.

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