By Will Espero

Return to Forestop’s Father is a short documentary from the United States narrated by Grant Bulltail, a Crow tribal elder and a pipe lighter. Director Preston Randolph begins the film with a North American proverb: The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.

Grant Bulltail shares glimpses of his life and the stories of his grandfather who died in 1947 at the age of 100 years old. The tragedy of Native Americans is described as buffalo disappear, lands are stolen, and tribes are relocated.

The disconnect between people and nature is also a theme as Bulltail laments the loss of wildlife, clean air, and food sources. He notes his destiny includes sharing his heritage, bringing awareness of nature, and intervening to bring harmony and peace to the world. A historic pipe ceremony at Heart Mountain in Wyoming  brings his journey to others as he strives to educate us and keep his culture alive.

Preston Randolph

Preston Randolph

Preston Randolph is the owner of Cactus Pro Films, an award-winning documentary production company out of Wyoming. Randolph’s passion for using film to generate awareness for social issues has been showcased through many of his short documentaries, PSA’s and interactive national media campaigns. Randolph has been involved in many causes with a focus on prison reform, wrongful imprisonments and Native American issues. This work has teamed him with individuals like Tom Morello, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte and Pete Seeger as well as organizations like the Innocence Project and Amnesty International.

Randolph’s short documentary The Summer of ‘81 has been awarded honors nationwide, including winning the Wyoming State Film Contest in 2012. In 2019, Randolph released the short documentary, Return to Foretop’s Father which chronicles the journey of Grant Bulltail, a native American elder who travels to bring awareness to climate change and the negative impacts resulting from the disconnect between nature and modern culture. Randolph has generated a visual style that collaborates with his passion to reveal stories of the human element.

Return to Forestop’s Father is an Official Selection at the 2023 edition of the Global Nonviolent Film Festival, and it can be watched from September 28 to October 8 on GlobalCinema.online where the Festival is being broadcast. D!