Crying Earth Rise Up, narrated by Tantoo Cardinal, tells the story of Debra White Plume and Elisha Yellow Thunder’s efforts to stop the uranium mining contaminating their community’s drinking water. Informed by Native perspectives and belief systems, the film addresses the sacred relationship between water and life itself, as well as the conflicts between nuclear power companies, activists, and locals. With a nuanced look at what is becoming an increasingly common environmental battle, the film offers a case study of contemporary conservation efforts in the face of corporate and capitalistic interests.   (Crying Earth Rise Up)

Crying Earth Rise Up acknowledges the centrality of Native involvement in opposing the particular practice of uranium mining and suggests Native communities’ wider spread contribution to a variety of other conversations related to environmental protection (although not always noted by mainstream media, e.g. the recent blocking of the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline) (Documentary Educational Resources site)

Join us for the film and a conversation with director/producer/cinematographer Suree Towfighnia