Cody filmmaker Preston Randolph traveled to Park City, Utah, for Monday's premiere of the documentary “Free Leonard Peltier.” The moment couldn’t have more personal and professional significance for Randolph, who is a co-producer.
It was “a full house” inside the 500-seat Ray Theater for the premiere. For Randolph, it was his first time seeing the documentary and meeting the team he’d spent months working with to complete it.
“We’ve had hundreds of Zoom calls but never met in person,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “Being able to spend time with everyone, discuss Leonard's case, the structure of the film, and the next steps was really great. Celebrating the premiere together was something special.”
Significance Of Sundance
“Free Leonard Peltier” was one of 87 films selected for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, which has been held in Park City every January since 1981. Many films showcased at Sundance are nominated for Oscars and other cinema awards.
“Free Leonard Peltier” was co-directed by Jesse Short Bull and David France. It chronicles the trial and incarceration of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian activist who was convicted of killing two FBI agents during a shootout on the Pine Ridge reservation in 1975.
In addition to the production team that made the documentary, several people associated with Peltier’s story attended the premiere.
Dino Butler was one of the three people tried for the deaths of the FBI agents. He was acquitted for self-defense, and only Peltier was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in federal prison.
Filmmaker and photographer Kevin McKiernan has followed Peltier’s story for over 50 years. He was on the reservation during the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation and the Pine Ridge shootout.
Bruce Ellison, an attorney who represented Peltier during his appeals, has advocated for indigenous rights for over fifty years.
All three men were in Park City for the premiere. For Randolph, seeing them together at the Ray Theater, all invested in Peltier’s story and advocating for his freedom, was “the highlight” of the experience.
“Having those three individuals together in a room was a very special moment for me,” he said. “Their presence was the most important thing about the screening.”
‘The Cloud’
One person who wasn’t at the premiere was Leonard Peltier himself. He’s spent nearly 50 years in federal prison and has another month before he’s transferred to the Turtle Mountain reservation in North Dakota.
Former President Joe Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence in the last moments of his presidency. Peltier, now 80, was not pardoned and will serve the rest of his sentence on indefinite house arrest.
“Free Leonard Peltier” was inspired by the thousands of people who believe Peltier’s conviction was a miscarriage of justice and have advocated for his release from prison since his conviction. Peltier acknowledged his involvement in the fatal shootout but denied killing the agents, which Randolph said is supported by forensic evidence withheld from his trial and subsequent appeals.
Randolph said Peltier’s absence was “a cloud” hovering over the premiere. While his friends and allies celebrate the commutation, they will continue to advocate for his exoneration.
“Leonard is still in a cell waiting to be released, and we're all aware that the true celebration won't be until he comes home and can get a full commutation,” he said. “Until then, we’re all patiently waiting for that moment.”
Emotional Investment
When Peltier’s sentence was commuted on Jan. 20, the filmmakers had 20 hours to create a new ending for the documentary. The documentary screened at Sundance will be slightly different from what audiences will eventually see, as the production team took more time to make the unexpected ending cohesive with the rest of their work.
Randolph said the critical response to the film was mixed, but that didn’t matter to the audience at the Ray Theater. The documentary catalyzed the emotions and investment of the people who made it and came to see it.
“The premiere was incredible,” he said. “Everyone in the theater loved it. The ending needs some work, and they’ll be working on it, but it was still extremely powerful. The film really resonated with the audience. You could feel it.”
Randolph has chronicled Peltier’s story for 15 years, and the two have become close friends. As co-producer, he provided personal insight through his connection to Peltier, a vast archive of footage, documents, and interviews on the case, and a network of key people France and Short Bull wanted to include in the documentary.
While Randolph is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, he modestly qualified his involvement in the documentary as “minimal.” Meeting and talking with his accomplished peers was an educational experience, and he could see how his contributions enriched the finished film.
“There are elements that I assisted in that definitely aided the structure of the film and how the directors were able to tell it with materials that they could only get from me,” he said. “But I couldn’t have made this myself. Jess and David compiled an amazing team of people from all over the country that came together to make it possible.”
When The Time is Right
Leonard Peltier will be released before “Free Leonard Peltier.” According to Randolph, Peltier is scheduled to be transferred to the Turtle Mountain reservation on Feb. 18.
Peltier will spend the rest of his life surrounded by family and friends, many of whom attended the Sundance premiere. Meanwhile, his advocates will continue to make the case for a full commutation.
Randolph has returned to Cody “extremely motivated” about his own projects. He always wanted to go to Sundance, but only when he had a film that would be screened there. Now that he’s achieved this professional goal, he feels ready to take his work to the next level.
“When you're at Sundance, you see a lot of films by a bunch of creative people, and you get their perspectives on everything,” he said. “I have a feature I've been working on for a very long time, and I had a lot of good conversations about that with other filmmakers. It motivates and inspires you, and I’ve got several projects that I’m going to get rocking.”
As for Leonard Peltier, Randolph is happy that his friend is finally going home and plans to eventually visit him in North Dakota for the first time outside of a federal prison.
“I’m going to see Leonard when the time is right,” he said.
Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboysttedaily.com
Cody filmmaker Preston Randolph, far right, with the production team of "Free Leonard Peltier" at the premiere of the film at the Sundance Film Festival. Randolph is a co-producer of the documentary on the trial that led to Peltier's imprisonment for 50 years. (Courtesy Preston Randolph) 
Preston Randolph, from left, with former attorney Bruce Ellison and photographer and filmmaker Kevin McKierman at the premiere of "Free Leonard Peltier" at the Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy Preston Randolph) 
Preston Randolph, right, with David France, one of the co-directors of Free Leonard Peltier" at the film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy Preston Randolph) 
Cody filmmaker Preston Randolph, right, with Jesse Short Bull, one of the directors of "Free Leonard Peltier." Both Randolph Short Bull are Emmy-awarding winning filmmakers who've been collaborating for months on the documentary, but hadn't met in person until the Jan. 27 premiere in Park City, Utah. (Courtesy Preston Randolph)
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
