A Red Road to Palestine

An Indigenous journey of resistance and solidarity

In 2016, Kanien’kehá:ka filmmaker Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas traveled to Palestine, witnessing firsthand the struggles of Palestinians resisting occupation. A Red Road to Palestine is a documentary about the deep parallels between Indigenous struggles in North America and Palestine—two peoples fighting against settler colonialism, displacement, and erasure.

Our Collaborative Approach

As we build Red Road to Palestine, we’re releasing rough cuts of scenes as they’re completed. This serves two purposes: to gather critical feedback from our community, and to make these clips immediately useful for the movement. We believe in making this film with the people, not just for them—and in contributing to the struggle now, not just years down the line.

You can help bring this story to life by picking up a keffiyeh or hoodie featuring artwork by Indigenous artist Gord Hill — or by making a direct donation. Every contribution helps us move the film forward.

The Team

Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas is a Kanien’kehá:ka activist, filmmaker, and entrepreneur from Kanehsatà:ke. He was part of the 1990 resistance during the Oka Crisis, standing against the military blockade of his community by the Canadian army. His independent documentaries, such as Elsipogtog: No Fracking Way!, explore Mi’kmaq resistance to fracking, while Karistatsi Onienre: The Iron Snake exposes the dangers of the Énergie Est pipeline project. In 2018, he broke ground by opening Quebec’s first Indigenous-owned cannabis shop, six months ahead of Canada’s marijuana legalization. Clifton is now collaborating with Franklin on two documentaries that confront the impacts of colonization and the ongoing
resistance to it.

Rehab Nazzal is a Palestinian-born multidisciplinary artist based in Bethlehem and Montreal. Her work focuses on the effects of settler colonial violence on the bodies and minds of colonized peoples, on all forms of life, and on the land. Nazzal combines experimental, conceptual, and documentary strategies in her photography, film, sound, and installation work. She currently teaches at Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, and has previously taught at Simon Fraser University, Western University, and the Ottawa School of Art. Nazzal’s work has been shown globally. She is the recipient of multiple awards and honors including Concordia's Horizon Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Best Short Film Award at the BFI London Film Festival; the Iris Award for Best Short Documentary at Gala Québec Cinéma.

Franklin López

Filmmaker

Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas

Filmmaker

Rehab Nazzal

Artist

Born in Borikén (Puerto Rico), Franklin López has been stirring up trouble with his camera since he was 17. In 1994, he founded subMedia, a platform for radical films spotlighting grassroots anti-capitalist and anti-colonial struggles, eco-defense, and Indigenous sovereignty. After producing hundreds of films and mentoring budding filmmakers, Franklin left subMedia to dive into long-form documentaries and launched Amplifier Films. His credits include INVASION and Yintah—award-winning films chronicling the Wet’suwet’en resistance to oil and gas pipelines—and La Lucha Sigue, which sheds light on COPINH and the legacy of Indigenous land defender Berta Cáceres. Today, he continues amplifying voices of resistance and sharing his skills with those on the frontlines.

Why This Film Matters

This isn’t just a film—it’s a movement.

Indigenous peoples around the world have long-faced dispossession, militarized violence, and forced removals from their lands. By connecting the struggles of the Kanien’kehá:ka with Palestinians, A Red Road to the West Bank exposes the global patterns of colonial oppression while celebrating the strength of those who resist.

This documentary will serve as a tool for education, activism, and solidarity-building across movements.
Your support ensures this story gets told—and reaches those who need to hear it.

Donate Now & Stand in Solidarity

Be part of A Red Road to the West Bank. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a difference. Support, share, and help bring this story to the world.

Regards Palestiniens invited Amplifier Films to present their work in a Palestinian-Indigenous Solidarity film program, fundraising for different front line land struggles on Turtle Island and for Amplifier Films' powerful work-in-progress: RED ROAD TO PALESTINE. The screening attracted a full house (200 attendees) and was followed by a Q&A with Franklin Lopez and Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas from which I personally learned so much as moderator, filmmaker and teacher in film. Frank and Clifton's film production knowledge is both tactical –providing direct material and mobilizing support for the front line– AND rooted in time immemorial: in the long game of anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist LAND BACK movements and land-based ways of being. I wholeheartedly thank them and appreciate our encounter which we hope is a seed for inter-nation solidarity for many years to come.

Razan AlSalah,
filmmaker, teacher and member of
Regards Palestiniens screening collective