Logline
A small, determined group of Blackfoot people strive to restore their land's ecology, cultural roots, and spiritual connection by reintroducing buffalo to Blackfeet territory, a century after the species' near-extinction. Narrated by Oscar®-nominee Lily Gladstone, this evocative and moving film captures a powerful, community-led journey toward renewal and healing.
Synopsis
Directed By: Daniel Glick, Ivan MacDonald, Ivy MacDonald
Bring Them Home Aiskótáhkapiyaaya chronicles a decades-long initiative by members of the Blackfoot Confederacy to bring wild buffalo (Blackfeet:iinnii) back to the Blackfeet Reservation. A thriving wild buffalo population would not only reconnect Blackfeet with a central part of their heritage, spirituality, and identity but would also provide economic opportunities and healing for the community. Along the way, however, the initiative faces obstacles from ranchers who see the buffalo as a threat to the cattle ranches that dominate the land and are a legacy of colonization.
Bring Them Home examines the deeply meaningful role that buffalo played in Blackfeet life before the arrival of settlers who eradicated wild buffalo to eradicate the Blackfeet people. For Blackfeet, the buffalo are not only as fundamental to a healthy ecosystem but as spiritual relatives. Their removal from the land meant the loss of the Blackfeet way of life, the trauma of which still reverberates today.
Awards:
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Big Sky Award - Big Sky International Film Festival
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Best of Fest - Palm Springs International Film Festival
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Audience Choice - San Diego International Film Festival
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Kumeyaay Award - San DiegoInternational Film Festival
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Climate Justice Award - Blackstar Film Festival
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Best Musical Score - Nevada City Film Festival
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Best Documentary Feature - Weyauwega International Film Festival
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Best Documentary Feature - Montana International Film Festival