Between the years of 1973 and 1975, over sixty Native Americans were murdered during the “Reign of Terror” on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. On June 26, 1975 tension erupted with a shootout on the Jumping Bull Ranch between FBI and American Indian Movement (AIM) members resulting in the deaths of two FBI agents and one American Indian.
In 1977, Indian Activist, Leonard Peltier was convicted for the murder of the two agents and since has served thirty-four years in Federal prison. Despite proof that he was convicted on a combination of fabricated and suppressed evidence and false testimony, he continues to languish behind bars.
Wind Chases the Sun is currently budgeted at $370,000. Preston Randolph, along with his research crew is the driving force behind the documentary script. Accumulating hands-on knowledge – garnered from extensive research and interviews – Preston exposes new & highly relevant information concerning the atrocities of the Peltier case, to aid viewers in finding the truth.
“This is the film of an innocent man, imprisoned by the lies of a guilty government.”
The extreme poverty of the Pine Ridge Reservation, along with the never-before-heard testimony, will be projected on screen through a revolutionary High-Definition Production. The cinematography will also include aerial footage of the Pine Ridge Reservation shot with a Cineflex HD camera by Aerial Filmworks.
The horrific details of the “Reign of Terror” and the plight of Leonard Peltier will be presented through vintage archival footage and groundbreaking, accurate and violent reenactments. Wind Chases the Sun not only wants to educate the masses on this genocidal case, but also to wow the audience, sending them away from the theater shocked and outraged from what they have just witnessed.
The film spans the life of Leonard Peltier, from early years to present, in a way never before seen on the screen. The audience will witness the experiences and principals that formed him into the man he now is. He grew up while dealing with prejudice and injustice, being shuffled to boarding schools while struggling to adapt to societal changes during the 1960’s.
The chronological account of Peltier’s recruitment into AIM and his earliest chapters of political activism will present vivid insights into what motivations took Peltier to the Pine Ridge Reservation during the 1970’s.
Another story line of the film focuses on tensions of the Pine Ridge Reservation, including the hardships and extreme poverty that remains to this day. This period included the murders – never investigated – of over sixty Native Americans by members of death squads funded and armed by the US Government and FBI. This segment will invoke extreme emotions, and the violent reenactments offer samples of the despair of this bleak, dark period in American History.
Amidst these horrific events, the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation cried out to the American Indian Movement for help. On June 26, 1975, Special Agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams sought to serve an out-standing arrest warrant and purposely entered the area where the AIM was camped. These two ill-advised and un-prepared young agents had entered a documented “war zone.”
A firefight ensued between these agents and the AIM, who were convinced these unmarked and unidentified individuals were members of the murdering death squads. This very violent and traumatizing conflict will be reenacted to perfection, offering a fresh vision of what happened on that day, culminating in the deaths of the two FBI Agents and one Native American.
Over a year later Peltier was tried for the murder of the two agents and an all-white jury convicted and sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences. During the trial, vital evidence testifying to the “Reign of Terror” was disallowed and a ballistics test proving Peltier’s innocence was withheld from the jury.
Since then, Peltier has served thirty-four years in prison. During this time he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize six consecutive years, honoring his humanitarian work. Peltier has authored a book, "Prison Writings" and has proven to be an astounding artist. During his prison term, Peltier has endured an ongoing persecution with few ears open to hear his voice of truth. New testimony exposes this extreme injustice and chronicles the mental cruelty he – an innocent man denied freedom – continues to suffer.
Wind Chases the Sun will expose this entire controversial & misunderstood story in a uniquely-artistic style focusing on breathtaking cinematography and aerial footage. Groundbreaking new testimonies, violent reenactments, and a musically-intriguing score will bring the facts of this story to life in a way that we hope will ultimately make a huge difference in lives interrupted.
This short bio is being reposted from the website http://cactusprofilms.com/wind-chases-the-sun/
1 comment:
I was a boy when I first heard about Leonard. My family was active in AIM during those years so I recall going to meetings in different areas and listening to endless speeches that meant nothing to a young boy, all I was interested in was playing but I was smart enough to know that the Natives were uniting in a way they really never had prior to this era.
I met a lot of people, mostly men who were coming and going and always wondered why they'd come to us and then leave not long after.
Some of these names I heard in later years and recalled these men fondly because they treated me as their little "bro" but some had been killed and some had been sent to prison. In my mind I mourned their passing and the things that happened to them because they were good men who happened to be on opposing forces of the "Long Knives".
I've heard a lot of stories concerning Leonard and his innocence or guilt and I've always believed in my heart that he was innocent. Which is why I am doing what I can to support him and his quest for freedom.
I have a nephew who is in Fort Leavenworth also. He is in there for life too but he did what he was accused of.
Thirty-four years is a long time to be locked up in a prison which is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. It is at least half way through a man's life and to endure it in prison for a crime one did commit is bad enough but for one a person didn't do? It makes my heart ache and it isn't me sitting.
So I pray for my brother that something good will happen for him soon and I hope if you happen to read this you will too. All my relations, Ghaw-ta-ghe-shuk
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