Demon Mineral

2023 • 1h 28m • Documentary

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Availability

Virtual

  • Available until Dec 10, 2026

  • Available Worldwide

On-demand

  • Available until Dec 10, 2026

  • Available Worldwide

In-person

  • Available until Dec 10, 2026

  • Available Worldwide

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About the film

Demon Mineral can be seen as an anti-Western, flipping the classical cinematic paradigm by centering the voices and experiences of the Diné community to explore the legacy of uranium mining in Diné Bikeyah, the sacred homelands of the Navajo where over 500 unremediated mines are scattered across an area the size of West Virginia.

In just four generations entire ways of living have been lost or severely compromised, as mining has contaminated the air, water, livestock, and land upon which the community relies for its existence. The film also celebrates the actions the Diné community takes to resist new mines and improve life in an irradiated ecosystem that has seen a sharp rise in cancer, kidney failure, and other diseases.

Some Diné adhere to the tenets of an origin story wherein a demon contentedly lives in the earth. The demon will bother no one unless disturbed, having been laid there by a formidable warrior. Uranium, for millions of years to come, is perhaps this demon made real.

Director

Hadley Austin

Producer

Nevo Shinaar

Writer

Hadley Austin, Tommy Rock

Awards & recognition

Mill Valley Film Festival

Official Selection

Osnabrück Film Festival

Official Selection

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Official Selection

Munich International Documentary Festival

Official Selection

Slamdance

Audience Award, Best Documentary Feature

International First Peoples Festival

Official Selection

What people are saying

Extraordinary, haunting documentary... An incredibly distinctive, inventive film

Graham Williamson

The Geek Show

Provides a lens into an adversely affected community that is often ignored by mainstream media... Demon Mineral opens up a critical discussion about the long-term effects of mining and the systematic oppression of the indigenous community which is why I highly recommend the film for courses with an interest in environmentalism, human rights, public health, and indigenous studies.

Samuel Kim

Educational Media Reviews Online

Demon Mineral amplifies the voices of those affected by uranium mining, shedding light on their struggles and celebrating their tireless efforts for environmental justice and healing. [...] This anti-nuclear, Navajo-centered documentary would make a fantastic addition to nearly any library collection. Highly recommended.

J. Zimmerman

Video Librarian

Demon Mineral paints a devastating portrait of bureaucratic inaction and its long-term impact on human life. This fascinating documentary employs an array of well-sourced scientific data, coupled with archival and on-the-ground footage, to bring into vivid focus the heartbreaking toll of omnipresent radiation on the Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah Indigenous population... The illuminating Demon Mineral is an essential vehicle for those directly impacted by this dire situation to draw attention to their plight.

Zaki Hasan

San Jose State University

A film manifesto that is intelligent in both its form and narrative content.

Maren Willkomm

Munich International Documentary Festival

Austin's direction is precise, and though the film is presented more like a mosaic and less like a linear narrative, the experience is profoundly affecting. Demon Mineral is a damning indictment of the U.S. government's negligence and violence toward Indigenous communities and serves as a strong companion piece to last year's Oppenheimer, showing just how far-reaching the negative effects of the nuclear arms race were.

Seth Turek

SLUG Magazine

Gallery

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