Wild & Scenic Films

Here’s a peek at just some of the films in MRC/LCIA’s Wild & Scenic line-up!

Brilliant Darkness: Hotaru in the Night
Emily V. Driscoll, James Karl Fischer, BonSci Films
(2014, 12 min)

Brilliant Darkness explores the importance of darkness, and the erosion of it, through the study and preservation of firefly habitats in Japan and the U.S.. Fireflies disappear as artificial night lights disrupt their “languages of light.” The film showcases scientists on different continents studying firefly flash patterns and how to live among wildlife in urban settings.

28 ft. Life on a Little Wooden Boat
Kevin A Fraser, Melani Wood
(2013, 9 min)

Twenty Eight Feet is a short documentary about David Welsford, who has given up the luxuries of land in search for happiness and adventure on a 50 year old wooden boat he restored from a scrap heap.

Dryden – The Small Town that Changed the Fracking Game
Chris Jordan-Bloch, Director, Kathleen Sutcliffe, Earthjustice
(2014, 11 min)

The industry kept saying: ‘We have the power; you have none. We are coming. Get out of the way or leave,” said Joanne Cipolla-Dennis, recalling what happened when the oil and gas industry came to her town of Dryden, NY. But Joanne and her neighbors came up with a plan. This is the true story of people who discovered their shared strength and turned the tables on a powerful industry.

Joana Macy and the Great Turning
Christopher Landry
(2014, 26 min)

This is a time when we need the wisdom of our elders. Here, eco-philosopher Joanna Macy shares her understanding of these times when everything we treasure seems to be at risk. But it is not a film about despair. Instead, it is about the opportunity we have to participate in the global shift to a life-sustaining civilization.

Sea Change
John Antonelli, Mill Valley Film Group, Chris Rohio, Eli Olson, Todd Miro, Jeff Springer, Graham Deneen, Will Parrinello
(2014, 19 min)
The grassroots efforts of Ikal Angelei, a charismatic 31 year-old Kenyan woman, are explored as she tries to mitigate the impact of the Gibe III dam in Ethiopia on the indigenous people who have relied on the Omo River and Lake Turkana as their vital source of water and food for centuries.

Common Ground
Alexandria Bombach, Thatcher Bean
(2014, 18 min)
Several ranching and farming communities living against the stunning landscape of the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana are faced with the decision of what is to become of this unprotected public land. As the community battles with the idea of proposing more wilderness areas, heritage and tradition are seemingly defended on both sides. When the people begin to raise their voices, they come to find that what is feared most is change.

California: Paradise Burning
Matt Black, Ed Kashi, Sky Dylan-Robbins
(2014, 7 min)
Since 2012, California has been suffering through a historically severe drought. For the farmers and ranchers of the Central Valley, the future seems especially bleak. Wells have gone dry, orchards have been left to perish, and those who came to California to work the fields stand idle. Photographers Matt Black and Ed Kashi recently spent time with the farmers and shepherds of the Central Valley, documenting their ongoing struggles.

The Coralax
Troy Lau, Taylor Redman, Kaya Goosby and Kawelu Higashino
(2014, 7 min)
Inspired by Dr. Suess’s The Lorax, this claymation by four Maui middle school students uses 667 images to show how irresponsible shoreline development can impact our precious reef ecosystem