The Indigenous Roots and Reparation Foundation (IRRF) presents “Fish War”, a new feature documentary film from North Forty Productions and Northwest Treaty Tribes Media.

Fish War recently premiered two sold out screenings at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 11, 2024.

View the trailer: https://www.fishwarmovie.com

About the film

Salmon are the lifeblood for many Indigenous communities in Washington. When the state government all but cut off their fishing access in apparent violation of an 1855 treaty, the tribes refused to take it lying down. They saw their fight as part of the growing civil rights movement across the country and capitalized on their penchant for peaceful disobedience and protest to draw national attention to their plight. Their dogged work earned them a day in court but, instead of settling the issue of fishing rights, a landmark decision by a conservative judge triggered a decades-long battle between the tribes, the government, and non-Indigenous fishermen. With support from the Northwest Treaty Tribes, Fish War uses rare archival footage and the insight of activists on the front lines of the fight to trace the battle from its origins in the ’60s to today while interrogating what guaranteed fishing rights truly mean in the face of a climate crisis and human intervention.

-Betsy Cass, SIFF Programmer

About IRRF

The Indigenous Roots and Reparation Foundation (IRRF) is an Indigenous-led nonprofit established in 2021 to preserve history, culture, traditions and language through education and advocacy.

All proceed from the screening will go to IRRF.