Harlan McKosato: Film pays tribute to 'warrior' Elouise Cobell


Official Trailer: 100 Years

Radio show host Harlan McKosato reports from a screening of 100 Years, a documentary about the late Elouise Cobell and her landmark Indian trust fund lawsuit that resulted in a $3.4 billion settlement with the Obama administration:
In 1996, Elouise Cobell, whose Blackfeet name was “Yellow Bird Woman,” filed the historic and largest class-action lawsuit alleging that the federal government had mismanaged the trust funds of more than 500,000 American Indians. After a long court battle, Cobell and her lawyers agreed to a $3.4 billion settlement in December 2009, that Congress ratified in December of 2010. Cobell passed away in 2011.

Since her passing, film producer and director Melinda Janko has worked to create a 75-minute documentary 100 Years: One Woman’s Fight for Justice, on the life and achievements of Cobell. The film has been screened in Los Angeles and in New York and is making a run for an Academy Award. The film, which was officially released in August, was also screened last Friday, October 21st at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival.

“Elouise Cobell’s story is a once-in-a-lifetime story. She’s going to go down in the history books,” said Janko, the producer and director. “She’s going to go down right next to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. and all the people who fought the good fight. I feel honored to give this film to the world as a tribute to her."

Read More:
Harlan McKosato: ‘100 Years’ Documentary Highlights Elouise Cobell (Indian Country Today 10/25)

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