Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw Salmon People: Preserving a Way of Life
Documentary i darrell hillaire, beth basa pielert
- SYNOPSIS
Scha’nexw Elhtal’nexw Salmon People: Preserving a Way of Life is an hour-long documentary inspired by the late Chexanexwh Larry Kinley, a Lummi fisherman and tribal leader who embodied a belief in tribal sovereignty. The film follows two Lummi families fishing for sockeye. As they come to grips with a depleting fishery, Larry asks: “Who Are We Without Salmon?” Celebrating the resilience and adaptive natures of salmon and the people, the film is a reflection on a spiritual life way centered on respect and gratitude for salmon.
TRT: 60 Minutes
Release: November 4, 2024
Expiration: November 3, 2028
Distributor: WORLD – Local USA
NOLA:
Rights: Unlimited releases over four (4) years beginning 11/4/24.
darrell hillaire
Producer/Director/Writer
Darrell Hillaire is a Lummi Nation elder and a great-grandson of Frank Hillaire. In 1920, Frank Hillaire formed the Children of the Setting Sun Song and Dance Group in response to rapid colonial settlement which included making illegal, traditional Coast Salish cultural practices including song, dance, language and gatherings such as the potlatch. Children of the Setting Sun Song and Dance Group included many of Frank’s grandchildren.
Prior to his passing, Frank instructed his grandchildren and future descendants to: 'Keep My Fires Burning.' Darrell has endeavored to follow his instructions throughout his lifetime, from serving as Chairperson and Treasurer of Lummi Indian Business Council for 15 years to providing a home for his children by building and running the Lummi Youth Academy for 13
years, and more recently, as Executive Director and Co-Founder of Children of the Setting Sun Productions (CSSP). CSSP is a Native owned and operated 501(c)(3) located in Bellingham, Washington within 5 miles of Lummi Nation. Darrell leads the projects based on lifetime relationships with elders and spiritual leaders within the Coast Salish Territory and has grown
close to many of the elders through the development of Children of the Setting Sun Production work.
Beth Basa Pielert
Producer/Director/Writer
Beth Basa Pielert is a Producer/Director/Writer of television and documentary films. She is the
co-director and co-writer of Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw Salmon People: Preserving a Way of Life
airing on PBS for Native American Heritage Month, November 2024. Pielert formed Good Film
Works in 2001 while writing and directing Out of the Poison Tree for PBS, a documentary that
explores truth and reconciliation for survivors of the Cambodian Genocide. Her work has
included the award-winning films: The Corporation and Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on
Trial. Under Good Film Works, Pielert has produced, directed, and edited documentary films
for multiple Bay Area nonprofits and arts organizations helping to improve public schools in
underserved communities and eradicate homelessness. In another life, Pielert was the Video
Director for Electronic Arts|Visceral Games, marketing and shipping the epic first-person games
Dead Space 2 & 3 and Battlefield Hardline. Beth is currently developing a thriller series titled:
Leaves Awaken which centers on a Seattle based podcaster who returns to her maternal Rez to
explore the mystery surrounding her mother’s death, unearthing the horrific connection
between clear cutting, human trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.
