Indigenous communities around the world and in the U.S. resist threats to their sacred places--the original protected lands--in a growing movement to defend human rights and restore the environment.

In this four-part documentary series from the producer of IN THE LIGHT OF REVERENCE, native people share ecological wisdom and spiritual reverence while battling a utilitarian view of land in the form of government megaprojects, consumer culture, and resource extraction as well as competing religions and climate change.

Narrated by Graham Greene, with the voices of Tantoo Cardinal and Q'orianka Kilcher, the series exposes threats to native peoples' health, livelihood, and cultural survival in eight communities around the world. Rare verité scenes of tribal life allow indigenous people to tell their own stories--and confront us with the ethical consequences of our culture of consumption.

The titles in the series are:

In the Altai Republic of Russia and in Northern California, indigenous shamans resist massive government projects that threaten nature and culture.


From Papua New Guinea to the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, native people fight the loss of land, water, and health to mining and oil industries.


From the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia to the Andes of Peru, indigenous highland communities battle threats to their forests, farms, and faith.

Aboriginal Australians and Native Hawaiians reclaim land from the government and the military, and resist the erosion of culture and environment.

228 minutes
SDH Captioning for the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing

Directed by Christopher McLeod
Writers & Co-Producers: Jessica Abbe, Jennifer Huang
Editors: Marta Wohl, Quinn Costello
Videographers: Andrew Black, Will Parrinello, Vicente Franco
Sound: David Wendlinger
Associate Producer/Assistant Editor: Erin Lee
Associate Producer, New Media: Marlo McKenzie
Narrator: Graham Greene
A Presentation of Pacific Islanders in Communications and Vision Maker Media
A Production of the Sacred Land Film Project of Earth Island Institute

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Bullfrog Communities

Bullfrog Communities provides a simple way for concerned citizens to stay informed about pressing issues:  water, economic justice, food, energy & climate change, immigration, and environment.  Join the ongoing discussion about issues that concern us all.  Educate and energize your local community using the unique power of film.

Bullfrog Films is the leading U.S. publisher of independently-produced films about environmental and related social-justice issues — films that point the way to living healthily, happily, and with greater concern for the other inhabitants of this planet, and for our descendants.

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