Bold Native is the culmination of almost ten years of work by literally hundreds of people. It was conceived in the summer of 2001. It was shepherded through numerous drafts by Denis Henry Hennelly, Casey Suchan, Mary Pat Bentel, Jeff Bollman, Jessica Hagan, Todd Helbing, Ted Deiker, Jashub Absher, Danielle Lurie, Jimmy Franklin, Peter Alton, Goody-B Wiseman, and too many others to name here.

From the spark of its beginning to today, we’ve watched as terrorist attacks, oppressive government regimes, and draconian laws have radically changed the landscape of political and social protest in our country and the world. We’ve maintained a hope that we could create a film that spoke to the hopes and dreams of millions of compassionate people and the suffering of billions of non-human animals that have at every moment occupied our hearts and minds.

The film would not be possible without the generosity and kindness of everyone who gave their time and labor. The film is dedicated to you. And it’s dedicated to the brave, anonymous women and men who risk their freedom to give freedom to another. It’s dedicated to the individuals and groups who fight for legislative and social change, work to educate the public, and care for abused and rescued animals at farm sanctuaries. And it’s dedicated to the billions of animals who were never saved and whose brief time on our earth was filled with pain and sadness.

Finally, it’s dedicated to everyone who watches this trailer and says, “Yes.” Yes, the time has come to reject the notion that the saving of a life or the protest of an industry is terrorism or violence. Yes, there is something more important than our momentary pleasure or convenience. Yes, the lives we take have value and their interests, no matter how different from ours, deserve consideration.

Who is the Bold Native? Find out this summer.