‘Fish War’ screens in Wenatchee

WENATCHEE— A documentary highlighting tribal leaders who stepped forward as environmental stewards to protect salmon will be screened at the Numerica Performing Arts Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. 

“Fish War” is a feature-length documentary highlighting the struggles Indigenous nations faced as they exercised their treaty-protected fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest. The film is told from the point of view of the tribal citizens and leaders. 

“My father, 60 years ago, was still getting his head bashed in on the riverbanks,” Willie Frank III, the son of treaty rights activist Billy Frank Jr., said in a press release. “He was getting his head bashed in Olympia, right on the rocks where our state Capitol is, during a fishing protest to demonstrate what goes on along the river. Because the state of Washington — they didn’t want to tell people the truth.” 

The protests in Olympia led to a federal court case decision, known as the Boldt Decision, that changed the way the state and tribes manage Washington’s fishery. 

Earlier this year, “Fish War” sold out two screenings at the 2024 Seattle Film Festival. 

The film is produced by North Forty, an award-winning, Wenatchee-based documentary film and production house. The studio included archival footage from the protests in their film. 

The Indigenous Roots and Reparation Foundation, a nonprofit that preserves the history and culture of Indigenous peoples, hosts the screening. All proceeds go towards the organization. 

Tickets can be purchased at the Numerica Performing Arts Center box office or online.