AWAKE tells the story of the massive peaceful resistance led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to the Dakota Access Pipeline through their land and underneath the Missouri River.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a controversial project that brings fracked crude oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota through South Dakota, Iowa and eventually to Illinois. The Standing Rock Tribe and people all over the world oppose the project because the pipeline runs under the Missouri river, a source of drinking water for over 18 million people, and pipeline leaks are commonplace. Since 2010 over 3,300 oil spills and leaks have been reported.
Moving from summer 2016, when demonstrations over the Dakota Access Pipeline's demolishing of sacred Native burial grounds began, to the current and disheartening pipeline status, AWAKE, A Dream from Standing Rock is a powerful visual poem in three parts that uncovers complex hidden truths with simplicity. The film is a collaboration between indigenous filmmakers: Director Myron Dewey and Executive Producer Doug Good Feather; and environmental Oscar-nominated filmmakers Josh Fox and James Spione.
The Water Protectors at Standing Rock captured world attention through their peaceful resistance. The film documents the story of Native-led defiance that has forever changed the fight for clean water, our environment and the future of our planet. It asks: "Are you ready to join the fight?"
89 minutes
Directed by Josh Fox, James Spione, Myron Dewey
Produced by Kyle Cadotte, Teena Pugliese, Doug Good Feather
Screenwriting: Josh Fox, Floris Ptesan Hunka, Floris White Bull
Cinematography, Editing: Josh Fox, James Spione, Myron Dewey
"Very compelling. AWAKE makes essential connections between one local struggle, the health of the planet, and the real and symbolic violence of the Western industrial society. Emotionally touching as well as visually striking, this is an ideal introduction to the water protectors and their cause."
Dr. Anna J. Willow, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Ohio State University
"Witness these strong hearts fighting for our shared future, resisting violence and repression, and see what we are all capable of. Haunting and inspiring."
Will Potter, Author, Green Is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege
"A lesson in resistance for the rest of us...Evocative...AWAKE, A DREAM FROM STANDING ROCK not only serves as a vital record of one of the biggest protest movements since Occupy Wall Street or Black Lives Matter, but its events are also fresh. That swift response, a wake-up call, in the form of a visual poem, is a testament to the filmmakers' artistry, and urgency."
Jude Dry, IndieWire
"Provides a powerful picture of the people who have made Standing Rock, North Dakota, one of the most-watched places on earth."
Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter
"The best film that we've seen thus far about a crucially important moment in history. The film takes us inside this moment, showing viewers a truly unique perspective on this series of events that have completely changed the playing field for everyone involved in environmental conservation, social justice and indigenous rights."
Matthew Podolsky, Wild Lens
"Hard-hitting...intense...With soaring cinematography, Fox graphically depicts what's at stake."
Ed Rampell, The Progressive
"The film urges everyday people and journalists not just to get their cameras out and record, or their notebooks out and write, but to actually participate in the actions first."
Cecelia Barrow, Everyday Embellishments blog