Six thousand miles west of California, the Mariana Islands are American territory; but after generations of loyalty, the people of Guam and the Northern Marianas still remain second-class US citizens. Following the personal stories of four indigenous island leaders, this provocative film explores the history of American colonization in the Pacific - a moving story of loyalty and betrayal, about a patriotic island people struggling to find their place within the American political family. This landmark film is an ideal cross-disciplinary resource, appropriate for courses in American Studies, US or Pacific History, Colonial and post-Colonial Studies, Ethnic Studies, Native American Studies, Geography, Anthropology, Law, Peace & Conflict Studies, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, and Political Science. "Visually engaging, tightly edited and well-paced, the film is also thoroughly researched and accurate in its treatment of a lengthy historical chronology and complex political landscape. The Insular Empire is an excellent teaching tool for high school and college classes in American government, history, politics, and Pacific Studies, and for consideration of questions of imperialism, colonialism, and self-determination. This is an important documentary film, which deserves wide viewing and thoughtful discussion." - Don Rubenstein, Prof. of Anthropology and Micronesian Studies, University of Guam "The Insular Empire is a must see teaching tool for those committed to the exposure and critique of the ways U.S. exceptionalism masks and denies U.S. colonialism, both historically and how it is maintained and perpetuated in the 21st century. This excellent project grapples with the moral and legal questions regarding imperialism, military expansion, and self-determination in a way that is brilliantly incisive without being heavy handed." - J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Associate Professor of American Studies and Anthropology, Wesleyan University.