Review: 'Inspiring' documentary about Elouise Cobell's battle


Official Trailer: 100 Years

The first reviews of 100 Years, a documentary about the late Elouise Cobell and her landmark Indian trust fund lawsuit, are in and Katie Walsh of The Los Angeles Times calls the film "equally inspiring and enraging" in its depiction of the long battle:
The equally inspiring and enraging documentary “100 Years” emerges as a portrait of one remarkable rabble-rouser, the late Native American activist Elouise Cobell.

If you’re unfamiliar with the 21st century plight of Native Americans at the hands of the U.S. government, prepare to get mad, and ask questions. That’s exactly what Cobell, a Blackfeet woman and banker from Montana, did when she realized that the trust managed by the government to manage the leasing of Native American lands for natural resources appeared to have some murky accounting practices.

It turns out they were illegal and exploitative of a vulnerable, poverty stricken population who were beholden to the paternalistic government practices that expected them to be “good little Indians.”

Read More on the Story:
Review by Katie Walsh: Battle for Native American rights is depicted in the documentary '100 Years' (The Los Angeles Times 9/22)

Another Look:
Film Review by Daniel Eagan: 100 Years (Film Journal International 9/23)

Related Stories
Film about Elouise Cobell's long 'fight for justice' set for fall release (09/06)

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