20th Anniversary Celebration & Documentary Premiere
by Marlon Magdalena, Jemez Pueblo
The first public screening of this documentary, No Greater Act: Pueblo Resistance, was the cornerstone in the celebration of Silver Bullet Productions’ 20th anniversary of educational filmmaking in New Mexico.
NO GREATER ACT: Pueblo Resistance
narrated by Academy Award winner Wes Studi
Silver Bullet Productions has produced a multidimensional story about the conflict and survival of the Pueblo people from the 1540s to 1696, relevant to modern sovereignty, told by the voices of Pueblo historians, scientists, and tribal leaders. It is not a Pueblo history but a focus on events motivated by the variety of Pueblo resistance—the story of courage and perseverance in the face of nation-building and colonization by European nations.
Resilience did not begin with the Pueblo Revolt of 1680; nor does this story. Rather, it is the culmination of efforts starting in the 1500s to resist Spanish colonization and retain the inherent sovereignty over land, culture, and religion. The Pueblo Revolt and the subsequent second Rebellion remain mysterious outside the American Southwest. Even less known are the violent conflicts in New Mexico culminating in the unification of the Pueblo people. Any of these conflicts could easily have ended the Pueblo culture; instead, complex and creative forms of resistance halted the power of Spain in the New World, serving as universal lessons in resistance today.
