Canadian filmmaker Andrea Sadler will screen her documentary “The Sacred Run, the Lotus and the Feather” on Friday, February 14, 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, located at San Lucas 19, Riberas del Pilar.
The film follows First Nation Ojibwa leader Dennis Banks as he leads a historic ceremonial run alongside Indigenous participants from North America and Japan, joined by volunteers from 13 countries. The journey, which spanned 4,000 kilometers along the Sea of Japan, culminated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a simple yet profound message: “All Life is Sacred.”
Sadler joined the run, camera in hand, to document this remarkable physical and spiritual journey, capturing the experiences of a diverse group of runners—young and old—who came together to promote peace, respect for the Earth, and the rich cultural diversity of humanity.
Sacred Running is an ancient Indigenous tradition in which messages are carried from village to village. Banks, along with Indigenous Grandmothers, founded The Sacred Run in 1973 as a way to strengthen their people and culture at a time when First Nation communities were suffering immensely due to the lasting effects of colonization.
Many Indigenous children, including Banks himself, were forcibly removed from their families and placed in residential schools, where they faced abuse, neglect, and, in many cases, death. The true number of children who perished remains unknown. This history of abuse and genocide caused intergenerational trauma that Indigenous communities are still working to heal from today—a process they refer to as “mending the Sacred Hoop.”
Dennis Banks was a Native American activist, teacher, author, and co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which was established in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to advocate for urban Indigenous populations.
In 1956, Banks joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Yokota Air Base near Tokyo. There, he witnessed thousands of Buddhist monks, nuns, and Japanese citizens protesting the planned expansion of the base. He and his fellow airmen were ordered to fire upon the demonstrators if they stepped onto military grounds.
Having already developed a deep appreciation for Japanese culture—and having fallen in love with a Japanese woman—Banks was profoundly impacted by the protest. He refused to support the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrators, which sparked a lifelong connection with Japanese monks and nuns.
Inspired by his experiences, Banks organized the first Sacred Run in Japan in 1977. In 1995, the Sacred Run returned, completing a symbolic north-to-south journey through the country.
Following the screening, Andrea Sadler will host a Q&A session. Guests are then invited to participate in an outdoor Circle Ceremony, co-created by Sadler and a local shaman. Suggested donation: 200–500 pesos