‘Bad River’ documentary to screen at Park Theater

The Park Theater was selected among the regional theaters for the national March premier of the documentary film, “Bad River,” written and directed by filmmaker Mary Mazzio and narrated by Indigenous activist and actor Edward Norton. The Park Theater will screen “Bad River” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday March 15-16, at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 17, and at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 19 at 159 2nd Ave N Park Falls.

The film chronicles the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band and its ongoing fight for sovereignty, a story which unfolds in a groundbreaking way through a series of shocking revelations, devastating losses, and a powerful legacy of defiance and resilience, according to the film information. The project spans an epic history into the present, in its never-ending battle to save Lake Superior, the largest freshwater resource in America, and the most current battle of this fight involving a 70-year-old pipeline.

Several talented artists across the nation in music, graphic arts and filmmaking came forward to contribute to this project in some way to include Bad River students who created original artwork for the animation team at PunkRobot. Executive producer Mato Wayuhi also wrote several hip-hop tracks for the film, and Grammy-winning producer Shep Crawford, who was a producer and writer for Whitney Houston, Tamia and Boyz II Men, wrote and produced an original score.

The film’s executive producers are Mato Wayuhi (Reservation Dogs), Taylor Hensel (Reservation Dogs, Reciprocity Project), Victor Lopez-Carmen (former co-chair of the UN’s Indigenous Youth Caucus), Tracy Rector (Nia Tero), and Alec Sokolow (Toy Story).