Resistance and Redemption

Описание: The hunger for gold—the "snake's blood" that has long destroyed worlds—is an ancient story of extraction and broken promises.
Yet, in the arid landscapes of the American West, this narrative persists, merely updated with a new list of coveted elements: lithium, uranium, and copper, essential for a supposed "green energy" transition that ironically threatens the very earth it claims to save (p. 2). The feature film Resistance and Redemption is an unlikely cinematic artifact, a "Cinema Vérité Radio Documentary" drawn from candid interviews aired on primetime KPFK, Los Angeles, capturing a deeply personal and ongoing fight for the soul of the land.
The film begins in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains of southern California, where Quechan elder Preston Arrow-weed stands as a steadfast guardian of his ancestral lands (p. 1). He speaks of a devastating proposed gold mine, the Oro Cruz project, and an infuriating double standard: if gold were found at Mount Rushmore, no one would dare defile a national monument, yet it is deemed acceptable to destroy Indigenous sacred sites to line corporate pockets (p. 1). Arrow-weed’s testimony is a foundational call to action, rooted in a belief that the mountains are living entities, created just as people were, and deserve equal respect (p. 1).
The narrative then spirals outwards, revealing a pattern of similar extractive developments across the region. We hear commentary on the uranium mining at White Mesa and witness snapshots of a proposed lithium mine at Ash Meadows, a critical biodiversity hot spot where 28 endangered species, including the unique Devil's Hole pupfish, rely on the fragile groundwater systems that mining operations threaten to drain (p. 14).
The film’s heart beats hardest at Thacker Pass, or Peehee Mu'huh ("Rotten Moon" in Paiute), in northern Nevada, a place of immense pain and profound sacredness (p. 12). Here, the focus shifts to the ongoing struggle against a colossal open-pit lithium mine, a project fast-tracked by the U.S. government during the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal and inadequate tribal consultation (p. 17).
Dorece Sam, a member of the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and a key voice in the film, unwinds the story of her community's resistance (p. 18). She recounts how the site is an ancestral burial ground and the location of two historical massacres in 1865, where U.S. cavalry left the bodies of 30 to 70 Paiute people unburied (pp. 15-16). The company constructing the mine, Lithium Nevada Corporation, a subsidiary of Lithium Americas, filed a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP suit) against Dorece and others to silence their protests and block access to their sacred grounds (p. 19). Dorece describes a raid on the Ox Sam prayer camp where sacred objects, including a prayer staff with an eagle feather, were seized and disrespectfully stored in garbage bags (pp. 24-25).
A central mystery hangs over the film: how could U.S. District Court Judge Miranda Du issue a record of decision allowing the mine's construction to proceed while simultaneously stating the permit process was incomplete and therefore, in effect, illegal (p. 21)? The "redemption" hinted at in the title arrives with explosive reporting, included in a Rachel Maddow show segment aired on January 5, 2026. This segment exposed a clear instance of political corruption surrounding the sale of water rights from a ranch owned by Frank Falen and his family to the mining company (p. 27). Falen's wife, Karen Bud Phelan, was the number three official at the Interior Department, the very agency responsible for approving the mine (pp. 26-27). The water rights deal was contingent on the mine's approval, creating a direct financial incentive and revealing a quid pro quo that enriched the Falen family and applied political pressure to permit the mine despite its illegalities (pp. 26-27).
The Record of the Conflict
The Narrative: This film is a primary document of extractive practices across the West. Projects across three states are highlighted.
The Voices: Featuring key expert testimony from Dorece Sam (Ft. McDermitt Pai-Sho Tribe,
Preston Arrow-weed (Quechan Tribe), Mahlee Yellowfeather (Apache), Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Karen Budd Falen (BLM), Bureau of Land Manadement, Rachel Maddow.
Distribution: KPFK, The Rachel Maddow Show, New York Times, High Country News, PRX, Public Radio Exchange.
Score: Featuring an authentic score by Various artists /Free Music Archive that underscores the urgency of the battle.
Narrated By: Filmmaker, Robert Lundahl
Drone Footage, Young Warrior, Pai-Sho Drone.
Technical & Production Dossier
Master Format: 1920x1080 1080P HD
Capture System: 1080p and Zoom Recordings
Audio Integrity: Field Recordings from Participant Camera Mics/Samson Meteor
Post-Production: Agence, Atascadero, CA
Visit:
https://rlundahl.substack.com/.../res....