Directors JESSE SHORT BULL, LAURA TOMASELLI (US 2022) 120 min
Executive produced by Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei, this sweeping cinematic epic is a First People’s account of the Lakota Nation’s quest for sovereignty, self-determination, and reclamation of sacred land usurped by the US government in violation of an important treaty. Filmmakers Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli bring to light the Lakota’s legal battles, including the landmark 1980 Supreme Court case affirming that the Black Hills (site of Mount Rushmore) were taken from them, necessitating compensation. That money has been refused, as the land never was for sale. Written and narrated by poet Layli Long Soldier, the film poignantly and sometimes chillingly combines interviews with Lakota leaders, community members, and Native American civil rights activists, set against a mesmerizing score by 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning Navajo composer Raven Chacon. This essential chronicle of the “land back” movement is also a powerful and immensely informative call to action.