# Leonard Peltier documentary release

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/leonard-peltier-documentary-release
> Updated: 2026-10-13T19:15:07.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

The Netflix documentary ‘Free Leonard Peltier’, directed by Jesse Short Bull and David France, examines the legal controversy surrounding American Indian Movement (AIM) activist Leonard Peltier. The film explores the 1975 deaths of FBI agents Ronald Arthur Williams and Jack Ross Coler on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, as well as the prosecution of Peltier compared to the acquittals of Robert Eugene ‘Bob’ Robideau and Darrelle ‘Dino’ Butler.

Through archival footage and interviews, the documentary connects Peltier’s nearly fifty-year incarceration to broader themes of colonial violence and the struggle for Indigenous land rights and self-determination. While Peltier’s conviction remains, his sentence was commuted to home confinement by President Joe Biden in January 2025.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-13: Leonard Peltier documentary examines Indigenous activism and legal controversy

The Netflix documentary ‘Free Leonard Peltier’ explores the controversial 1975 conviction of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier and the broader fight for Indigenous rights in the United States.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/leonard-peltier-documentary-examines-indigenous-activism-and-legal-controversy

### 2026-09-17: Leonard Peltier documentary to debut on Netflix

The documentary ‘Free Leonard Peltier’ will debut on Netflix, revisiting the controversial conviction of AIM activist Leonard Peltier and his decades-long struggle for justice.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/leonard-peltier-documentary-to-debut-on-netflix

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Cite as: Leonard Peltier documentary release. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/leonard-peltier-documentary-release