Behind the scenes: The making of ‘Free Leonard Peltier’ documentary

A conversation around the documentary “Free Leonard Peltier,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, highlighted the efforts to free Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement activist who was convicted for the 1975 shootout at Jumping Bull camp. 1 The film explores his supporters’ claims of an unjust prosecution. Peltier’s activism began at a boarding school and was influenced by AIM leader Dennis Banks. 2 The documentary aims to bridge the gap between frontline activism and policy decisions, featuring a strong team of advocates. Leonard was granted executive clemency just before the premiere. Peltier was released from prison on February 18, 2025, and will be welcomed home at the Turtle Mountain Reservation Skydance Casino on February 19.

SPEAKERS

Jesse Short Bull, Nick Tilsen, Jhane Myers, Bird Running Water, David France 

Buffalo’s Fire  00:09

Documentary filmmakers Jesse Short Bull and David France premiered “Free Leonard Peltier” here on January 20, at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. For nearly 50 years, legal teams, grassroots organizations and myriad supporters from around the globe have worked to free American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier from prison buffalos fire was in a park city for the premiere and panel discussions where film crew members shared their stories about the making of the free Leonard Peltier documentary. The documentary tells the story of the shootout at the Jumping Bull camp on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1975 Peltier was Peltier was later charged and found guilty of shooting two FBI agents. His supporters have long argued he was unjustly prosecuted.

Jesse Short Bull  00:53

I think Leonard’s resistance started at a boarding school and some was really instrumental as a kid of those times and trying to make give people a chance to speak their concerns. It was Dennis Banks that hearing him speak and really resonated with him and that’s where he kind of made the transition, you know, from to full-time service, full-time volunteer work towards Indian people. And it’s pretty remarkable, because it’s all in service to the people. It’s all trying to help we

Nick Tilsen  01:40

need to close the gap between fighting on the front lines and where decisions are being made about the lives and lands of Indigenous people. Leonard deserved the best team that he’s ever had, and that we did our best to assemble over the best as possible from grassroots organizing, high level policy work, you’re trying to close that gap.

Jhane Myers  02:07

My work as a producer is I want everything being told through a Native lens. I wanted to follow the people that are doing the work. And Nick Tilson with Indian Collective, it doesn’t get better than this, because the advocacy you know. And you know, his contacts and the way that he can mobilize people, and that’s what we need, because it was a movement. And then Holly, you know, Holly as well, is doing like, phenomenal work, and her time in Washington, DC, so like, we have, like the All Stars of Indian country on this.

Bird Running Water  02:39

I first connected with David France, I think, probably a year and a half ago, two years ago.

David France  02:44

Yeah, well, first I want to say how proud I am to be on this panel with all of you people and on this project, and just witnessing this a team, as you call it, just doing, just doing amazing work. I’ve learned so much. So thank you. I wrote to Leonard almost two years ago, and when I realized that he was still fighting, I’m old enough, and I’ve been old enough to have watched all the events ungroable on television in 1975 and to have been become really fixated on trying to understand aim and what aim was doing and what the FBI was doing in response, and that was really a formative historical time for me.

Buffalo’s Fire  03:34

Peltier was granted executive clemency just days before the premiere of the documentary. Following his release, he will be welcomed home on February 19, after more than 50 years at the Turtle Mountain Community in Belcourt, North Dakota for Buffalo’s Fire. I’m James Brugh.