Trudell

Filmmaker Heather Rae's celebratory documentary of political activist, poet, performer and recording artist John Trudell serves as both a timely tribute to the man and an important reminder for those in danger of forgetting the issues at stake in the Native American struggle for rights and dignity. Mixing old and new interview footage with recordings of Trudell's poems, with spoken-word performances — often set to powerful traditional tribal songs and to the music of his own pickup band, and illustrated by Rae's own evocative film montage — and with fond recollections from friends and colleagues, Rae's film briefly traces Trudell's impoverished childhood on...