The Films

• Year 2019
• Country USA
• Runtime 23 min
• Director Peter Byck

A North Texas couple lets nature dictate how they graze their cattle. They are having tremendous success in regenerating their land and their lives.

• Year 2019
• Country USA
• Runtime 9 min
• Director Frederick Dakota

Filmmaker in Attendance

Three individuals reflect on the negative impacts The Dawes Act had, and continues to have, on the lives and communities of Native Americans.

• Year 2019
• Country USA
• Runtime 2 min
• Director Liam Kaiser

Family Friendly, Filmmaker in Attendance

Papa Jacks Cottage is a short story documenting the eroding shoreline on Lake Michigan and it’s affect it has on the landscape . The films conception and narration was sparked from a friendly voicemail from Papa Jack to his grandson Liam about the rising waters around his cottage. This short but sweet story serves as a monument to places we hold dear to our hearts.

• Year 2018
• Country USA
• Runtime 6 min
• Director Benjamin Drummond & Sara Joy Steele

Blue carbon is carbon that is captured and stored by coastal wetlands, helping to mitigate climate change. This film is about mud and the multiple benefits that estuaries provide for us. “You never go into a wetland and just restore one benefit,” says wetlands ecologist John Rybczyk. It improves water quality, provides salmon habitat, protects our shorelines, and also benefits our climate. Restore America’s Estuaries recently lead a first-of-its-kind study in the Snohomish estuary to quantify the climate benefits of estuary restoration. Set in the Snohomish, this film helps to build awareness of blue carbon as a climate mitigation tool and to encourage more investment in wetland restoration at local, state, and federal levels.

• Year 2019
• Country USA
• Runtime 10 min
• Director Aaron Peterson

Family Friendly

This is a family camping story told by my son Josiah. The film takes place during a 10-day canoeing and camping trip to the Slate Islands of Ontario, Canada on Lake Superior. It was scripted from campfire conversations about life, climate change and the natural world that we shared during this and other trips. The film was originally produced in 2018 but not released because I didn’t think it was finished, but in August 2019 Josiah passed away due to a fungal brain infection contracted during treatment for leukemia. He was 10 years old. Now the film has become a memorial to my best friend and adventure buddy, a very special kid that experienced more in his decade than many do in a full life. I ache to know what he would have become, but find joy in all that he was.

• Year 2018
• Country USA
• Runtime 17 min
• Director Danny Schmidt & Eric Bendick

Amidst the backdrop of massive development and population growth, three friends embark on a journey through the Everglades Headwaters in Florida to survey a fragile wilderness corridor before it disappears forever.

• Year 2019
• Country USA
• Runtime 8 min
• Director Heart of the Lakes

Filmmaker in Attendance

Michigan has a wealth of tourism each year that utilizes our lakes and rivers – leveraging the outdoor recreation businesses that facilitate us with the gear to enjoy a day on the lake has the undeniable potential to increase Michigan’s economic impact. However, with an increase of footprints in the sand, means coastal conservation is essential in keeping our water clean and accessible. Many of Michigan’s outdoor lifestyle brands and businesses have already made this connection and advocate for coastal conservation.

• Year 2018
• Country USA
• Runtime 4 min
• Director Pablo Durana

Family Friendly

Ricky Jones converted his van into his home, spends his nights in nature, and during the day makes a living making a difference — collecting data from the backcountry to help scientists, and helping others to do so as well. “Why wouldn’t you want to do your part to give back to the community?” he asks. “And that community being the entire world.”

• Year 2019
• Country USA
• Runtime 5 min
• Director Grant Piering

Filmmaker in Attendance

A simple and savory reminder of our wild places, why they deserve more of our attention, protection and love, and what’s at risk if we lose them.