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New VICELAND Series 'RISE' to Debut at Sundance

One of the episodes screening will be "Sacred Water," which focuses on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation's resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Three episodes of VICELAND's new series RISE will debut at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

RISE is an examination of Indigenous life in the modern age and gives viewers a rare glimpse into the frontline of Indigenous-led resistance.

One of the episodes to be screened is "Sacred Water," which sees host Sarain Carson-Fox, of Anishinaabe lineage, visit and examine the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation's resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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The resistance became a worldwide news story as the largest gathering of Indigenous people in more than a century came together to protect the area's water. In a stunning victory, the Sioux were able to get the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline rerouted.

With the Trump presidency looming overhead and white supremacy making a comeback, Indigenous-led activism is at the forefront of a cultural pushback.

The show, produced in partnership between VICE Canada and APTN, will be played in the Short-Form Episodic Series programme.

"RISE is groundbreaking through its voicing of important issues around land, decolonization, and political governance told through an Indigenous point of view by showcasing the people who are leading this change globally," said Michelle Latimer, the Algonquin/Métis the director and series producer of RISE.

The other two episodes playing at the festival will be "Apache Stronghold" which focuses on the San Carlos Apache tribe's fight to protect Oak Flat, their sacred land, and "Red Power" an examination of the evolution of the Indigenous resistance movement.

Sundance 2017 will take place from January 19 to 29, RISE will be played in the Special Events category and will feature an extended Q&A with Latimer. The show will premiere on VICELAND on January 27.

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