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Free Leonard Peltier

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In the early 1970s, the United States was roiled by protest: Vietnam, women's rights, gay rights, black power and, rising up at the forefront, the American Indian Movement, AIM. Leonard Peltier was a young mechanic when he joined AIM to advocate for his people and quickly found himself swept up in a war between activists and the US government. FREE LEONARD PELTIER, the new documentary from acclaimed directors Jesse Short Bull and David France, revisits the turbulent era of AIM, bringing alive the occupations, arrests, demands, and assassinations and culminating in the FBI's descent onto the compound on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where Peltier was staying. After two FBI agents are killed in the ensuing shootout, Peltier is arrested, tried, convicted of their murder and sentenced to two life terms in prison in one of the most notorious and discredited legal judgments in modern America. Now, fifty years later, with Peltier still in jail, FREE LEONARD PELTIER arrives to revisit his case in a new era and to advocate for just what its title suggests.

Critics Reviews

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Ty Burr Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack) Jan 31
3/4
A solid, stirring account of the fight to release Peltier, in his 80s and ailing, after five decades in prison for a crime everyone but the FBI believes he didn’t commit. Go to Full Review Robert Daniels RogerEbert.com Jan 29
“Free Leonard Peltier” is as defiant as its subject. Go to Full Review Daniel Fienberg The Hollywood Reporter Jan 28
The documentary has its finger on a pulse, but it isn’t prepared to say what the newly measured heart rate means. Go to Full Review Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) Oct 4
The story has been covered previously in documentary...and non-fiction...but Jesse Short Bull and David France’s new documentary brings together previous information with more recent developments. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Apr 6
2.5/4
The doc tells a stirring and timely real-life story about the need to stand up to injustice. However, its sometimes unconvincing execution distracts from the message, leaving one thoroughly disappointed in the film and filmmaking. Go to Full Review Amber Wilkinson Screen International Mar 17
While Jesse Short Bull and David France’s film is firmly anchored in Peltier’s story, it also uses his experience as a springboard to highlight the oppression, institutional racism and abuse faced by Native Americans. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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David France

Director

Jesse Short Bull

Director

Leonard Peltier

Self

David France

Producer

Jhane Myers

Producer

Paul McGuire

Producer

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Free Leonard Peltier

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the early 1970s, the United States was roiled by protest: Vietnam, women's rights, gay rights, black power and, rising up at the forefront, the American Indian Movement, AIM. Leonard Peltier was a young mechanic when he joined AIM to advocate for his people and quickly found himself swept up in a war between activists and the US government. FREE LEONARD PELTIER, the new documentary from acclaimed directors Jesse Short Bull and David France, revisits the turbulent era of AIM, bringing alive the occupations, arrests, demands, and assassinations and culminating in the FBI's descent onto the compound on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where Peltier was staying. After two FBI agents are killed in the ensuing shootout, Peltier is arrested, tried, convicted of their murder and sentenced to two life terms in prison in one of the most notorious and discredited legal judgments in modern America. Now, fifty years later, with Peltier still in jail, FREE LEONARD PELTIER arrives to revisit his case in a new era and to advocate for just what its title suggests.
Director
David France, Jesse Short Bull
Producer
David France, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, N. Bird Runningwater
Production Co
Public Square Films
Genre
Documentary, Crime, History
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 50m