Featured Documentary at the 2025 Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Film Festival
By OLIVER STRICHERZ
Although there may be many, films aren’t the only thing getting people to come to MSPIFF. This year, the festival had many events, including everything from panels to karaoke parties. The opening night of the fest began with the documentary Free Leonard Peltier, which brilliantly told the story of the 49-year-long unjust imprisonment of Leonard Peltier, one of the most impactful Indigenous activists ever. The film, directed by Indigenous director Jesse Shortbull and reporter David France, used archival footage and interviews with other activists who were involved in the 1973 revolution in Wounded Knee. Near the end of his term, former President Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence to house arrest after the previous 49 years he spent in maximum-security prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The film had been completed by this point and had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival the previous January, but upon Peltier’s sentence being commuted, the ending was changed, and shown for the first time at MSPIFF.
After the film was shown at MSPIFF, each of the three screenings that night were preceded by a Q&A with director Jesse Shortbull and David France, and others involved with the film, as well as a surprise video message from Peltier himself expressing his gratitude to those who came and saw his story, as well as a timely reminder to stay vigilant in the face of injustice. After this came the Opening Night party at the A-Mill Artists lofts, which included food from the beloved and award-winning Indigenous restaurant, Owamni.
Editor’s Note: This film review by Oliver Stricherz first appeared in The Southerner, South High School’s newspaper, as part of a longer piece titled: In early April, film takes center stage—The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Film Festival through the eyes of a teen. We are pleased to have permission to feature Oliver’s reviews. If you can’t wait to see more, visit The Southerner at https://www.shsoutherner.net/.
Oliver Stricherz, a senior this year, is a staff writer for South High School’s The Southerner. He is “driven, angered and interested” in human rights and dynamics, hoping to explore human stories.
