Alcatraz Is Not An Island (Institutional DVD & Vimeo Streaming)

Description

Emmy Award-Winning “Alcatraz Is Not An Island”

Directed By James M. Fortier (Ojibway)
Produced By Jon Plutte
Executive Producer Millie Ketcheshawno (Mvskoke)
Associate Producer/Historical Consultant Dr. Troy Johnson
Edited by Mike Yearling

Institutional DVD purchase includes access to password protected digital streaming through Vimeo for as long as I can afford to maintain my Vimeo account.  Includes Priority Mail shipping.

Contact me for in perpetuity licensing with your own digital file of the program.

Due to copyright limitations for one song in the film this documentary will eventually be effectively “out of print.” Due to dwindling stock and increased operating expenses I have recently raised the price to $260, including Priority Mail. There is only one box of DVD copies left so act now.

Synopsis

For thousands of Native Americans, the infamous Alcatraz is not an island, it is an inspiration. After generations of oppression, relocation and assimilation, a small group of Native American students from UC Berkeley and San Francisco State along with Urban Indians from the Bay Area began the occupation of Alcatraz Island in November, 1969. They were eventually joined by thousands of Native Americans, retaking Indian land for the first time since the 1880s. Alcatraz Is Not An Island is the story of how this historic event altered U.S. Government Indian policy and programs, and how it changed the way many Native Americans viewed themselves, their culture, and their sovereign rights. The story of the occupation of Alcatraz is as complex and rich as the history of Native Americans. This documentary examines the personal sacrifices, tragedies, social battles, and political injustices many Native Americans experienced under the United States Government policies of assimilation, termination, and relocation – all eventually leading to Alcatraz. Beginning with the struggle to establish American Indian Studies programs at Bay Area universities, the occupation of Alcatraz quickly became the springboard for the Red Power movement of the 1970s, which has been called the lost chapter of the Civil Rights era. After 30 years, Alcatraz Is Not An Island provides the first in-depth look at the history, politics, personalities, and cultural reawakening behind this historic event, which sparked a new era of Native American political empowerment and cultural renaissance.