Climate, Community, & Corporations

In 2016, the news of the protests at Standing Rock broke through the nation. The Sioux Falls tribe of North Dakota embarked on a fight to protect their sacred lands and water from potential desecration and pollution. The documentary film, Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock, was released the following year depicting the resistance movement created at the camps at Standing Rock. This film became the subject matter for my project in which a film screening followed by a post-show discussion to explore the resistance movement and creative choices of the film as they pertain to indigenous rights, climate change, and corporations. The panel included Leroy Hollenback, a corporate social responsibility director from a Global 500 company, and Monte Yazzie, a Phoenix activist and film critic. The panel analyzed the artistic choices the filmmakers took and how that shaped the message of the film. Furthermore, the panel discussed what policy implications the film brought to light. In the end, indigenous resistance in efforts to protect Earth's biodiversity is present globally, making Standing Rock a modern case study that can instruct future movements.