Submitted by teh Friday Harbor Film Festival
The acclaimed documentary Fish War, winner of the Things to Consider Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Friday Harbor Film Festival, will tour the San Juan Islands over three consecutive days in November as part of Native American Heritage Month. The free screenings will take place on Nov. 7th (Orcas), 8th (Lopez), and 9th (San Juan).
Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landmark Boldt Decision, a pivotal ruling that affirmed the fishing rights of Washington’s Treaty Tribes and strengthened Tribal Sovereignty.
Participate after the film in a panel discussion with experts on Tribal Sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and fisheries management. The panels includes Chairman Ed Johnstone (NWIFC, Quinault), Willie Frank III (Nisqually), Nancy Shippentower (Puyallup), Jay Julius (Lummi), Althea Wilson (Lummi), Andrew Gobin, and Raven Borsey.
Orcas – Thursday Nov. 7 at the Orcas Center’s Madrona Room at 5:30 p.m.
Lopez – Friday Nov. 8 at the Lopez Community Center at 5 p.m.
San Juan – Saturday November 9 at San Juan Community Theatre at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Preregister at sanjuans.org under Events. This program begins with the Lummi Nation’s Blackhawk Singers, bringing traditional Indigenous dance and culture to the stage.
Fish War
The Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest have fought racism and police brutality to secure their treaty rights to harvest salmon. When Washington State started arresting Indigenous tribal fishers, it was a declaration of war. Scores of legal battles culminated in the Boldt Decision, a landmark Supreme Court case that was meant to put an end to the violent Fish Wars. Fifty years later, they’re still fighting adversaries including habitat destruction and climate change that threaten to destroy salmon runs forever.
Fish War is an honest, and at times brutal, look at the fish wars, the US v WA court case, and the ensuing fight to save salmon. It tells the story, from the point of view of the tribal citizens who were there, of how Tribes have been marginalized and pushed to the brink and invites non-tribal audiences to grow an even deeper appreciation and understanding that Tribes lead the fight to save the natural world from destruction —for everyone.
For more information or questions, please contact Jess Newley, Friends’ Community Science and Education Director, jess@sanjuans.org.
The film is coming to the San Juan Islands thanks to a group of local organizations, including the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Friends of the San Juan Islands, Friday Harbor Film Festival, Stewardship Network of the San Juan Islands’ Tribal Relations and Engagement Group, SeaDoc Society, Source Paper, Lopez Island Historical Museum, and the San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild’s Traditional Foodways team. This event is primarily funded by a grant from the San Juan Island Community Foundation and the San Juan County Department of Environmental Stewardship..
