SANDPOINT — Growing up watching westerns and loving John Wayne, it was only a matter of time before Sarah Hines and her sisters, Hailey and Mackayla, made one of their own.

Based on the story of their great-grandmother, a Lakota Sioux, “Peace Among Black Hills” is a 17-minute short film of love, hardship, loss and overcoming obstacles.

A red-carpet premiere of the film, created by Sarah and Hailey’s film production company Planted Roots Productions, is being held today at 6 p.m. at the Panida Theater, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. A question-and-answer session will follow.

According to Planted Roots Productions’ Indiegogo fundraising site, the film takes place in the wake of the war with the Plains Indians of the Northwest.

One Star and Jacob, the film’s main characters were both born half-white, half-Native American. While an early act of compassion brought them together as children, the war with the Plains Indians of the Northwest tore them apart. One Star is taken to the Carlisle Institute, the first federally funded off-reservation boarding school opened in 1879 under the mistaken belief that total immersion into white culture and complete severing of ties with their tribes was necessary for their survival, according to Wikipedia.

After several years at the school, One Star and her best friend Melody escape and return to Jacob’s ranch, only to find him gone. The pair decide to explore their world, collecting a group of other girls along the way. The group decides to make their way to a better life, raising cattle in Montana. A series of mishaps and adventures follow, including a reunion with Jacob.

Sarah Hines, who serves as one of the production company’s directors and actors as well as its writer, said she got the idea for the “Peace Among Black Hills” four years ago and has been working on the script for a couple of years.

When the time came to shoot the film, the group put the call out and garnered a “amazing group of actors” to be a part of the project, said Sarah Hines.

The final script was completed in July and the film shot — with sister Mackayla Hines and her boyfriend Christopher Mintken serving as cinematographers — in early August. Working as both actor and assistant director was Debbie Lindner.

Hines said the sisters’ are pleased with how the short film turned out and hope to eventually turn the story into a feature-length film.

Their great-grandmother would be proud of their efforts, Sarah Hines said.

“I think she would think it’s great we did this,” Hines said. “She would love the story.”