It’s no secret that Indigenous people are on the front lines of the fight against environmental destruction and climate change. This is why I’ve dedicated so much of my time to amplifying their struggles—because, beyond the efforts of NGOs (most NGOs, in my experience, are fairly ineffective at stopping the destruction), Indigenous land defenders have the deepest stake in this fight. They know exactly why they’re resisting: for the land, for future generations, for their children and grandchildren. This vision, rooted in long-term care and connection to the land, is what drives them to fight like hell.

This summer has taken us across territories, from the legendary site of resistance at Kanehsatake, to the newly christened Camp Sovereignty at kilometre 133 on the Chemin Parent. There, Nehirowisiw territory chief Robert Echaquan, alongside his family and supporters, has stopped logging operations. They’re now preparing a second blockade to pressure the Quebec government to recognize their sovereignty and reach a just agreement over forest management.

We also visited powerful train blockades in Wemotaci and Mashteuiatsh, where defenders stopped forest products and raw logs from moving through their territories—part of the growing resistance to Bill 97 and the wider colonial forestry regime in so-called Quebec.

From this frontline work, we’re creating a new film: Defenders of the Forest (https://amplifierfilms.ca/forest), a grassroots documentary five years in the making. We began filming in the winter of 2021, as this movement was being born—right in the middle of the pandemic—and while I was also working on Yintah. Now, we’re in the final push. The film is being made in close collaboration with Nehirowisiw (Atikamekw) and Innu land defenders, and will be released freely online between mid-September and early October to support organizing, screenings, and community-led fundraising.

We’ve also documented a powerful conversation for our upcoming project A Red Road to the West Bank. Rehab Nazzal, a Palestinian artist who hosted Clifton during his 2016 visit to the West Bank, was able to leave Palestine during a rare window when airspace opened. We brought her to Kanehsatake, where she met with Clifton and Mohawk land defender Ellen Gabriel for an interwoven, anti-colonial dialogue linking struggles from Turtle Island to Palestine.

We’re now urgently seeking $5,000 USD to complete post-production on Defenders of the Forest: editing, sound, color, and fuel for travel. Thanks to a U.S.-based fiscal sponsor, tax-deductible donations of $5,000 or more are now possible. If you or someone you know can give at that level, please contact us directly—it would allow us to focus on the essential filmmaking, rather than constantly chasing $20 here and $30 there (though we’re grateful for those too!).

Thank you for standing with land defenders and for believing in this work.

In resistance and gratitude,
Frank

This message was originally shared through our monthly newsletter. If you’d like to receive updates like this in your inbox, you can subscribe here.