The Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources hosted the fourth annual Wild and Working Lands film festival on Thursday. Eager viewers gathered in the Gryphon Theatre to behold the hard work of the variety of filmmakers who created vibrant and intriguing works that captured the importance of the relationship between humans and their environment.
The festival worked to bring people together through a connection to the land, as stated by John Koprowski, Dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. The evening began with an address by Koprowski that encouraged viewers to consider their own connection with the land, and to welcome and appreciate new perspectives. The festival served as a celebration of diverse experiences brought together by a common appreciation for the natural world we live in.
“These events are some of the only places these types of stories get exposed. A lot of these films won’t see Netflix or anything, so for the locals, if you actually live here, you actually get to see your backyard change. So if you live here it’s a huge thing,” said Kellon Spencer, director and cinematographer of the film Lifeblood.
Spencer discussed the experience of making the film, and why it was impactful.
“Just being around the guys doing that work was huge,” Spencer said “You feel lazy a little bit because you’re just holding the camera the entire time watching everyone pound pillars into the ground and all that, but especially with them bringing youth groups to do that work and kind of pass it on to the next generation was an amazing thing to be a part of.”
Davis Burch, who worked alongside Spencer as the editor of the film shared his experience as well.
“There were a lot of long, remote days, you know out in the desert. Vehicles getting stuck, and just long days out in the sun documenting,” Burch said. The film Lifeblood focused on the conservation efforts in the Muddy Creek area in Wyoming.
“I think that just telling stories about conservation is something that we care a lot about, and we can really see the impacts and the benefits of it in whatever ecosystem of the environment we’re working in.” Burch said.
The festival featured the screening of eight short films, all of which illustrated different perspectives and experiences that live in the surrounding ecoregion including wild, rural and urban areas of the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and sagebrush steppe.
The films featured included A Legacy On The Land, produced by Preston Roundolp, Welcome Home, directed by Alan Lacy, Lifeblood, from Trout Unlimited, Life Over Lithium, directed by Sean Grasso, Regenerative AG- Bruski Ranch (WWF), by Alexis Bonogofsky, Aaron Clausen, and Jeremy Roberts, How The Land Remembers Us, directed by Jared Wahkinney, Unwired, by Patrick Rodgers, and Earthworks, directed by Rachel Ross.
The festival also awarded certain films with a variety of awards selected by Festival Judges, including the Best film: Wyoming award, which was presented to Unwired by Patrick Rodgers, the Best Film: Indigenous Director or Worldview, given to How The Land Remembers Us by Jared Wahkinney, and the Grand Prize, presented to Life Over Lithium directed by Sean Grasso. The People’s Choice award was selected by audience vote at the end of the festival. The event successfully provided a space for a deeper understanding of our relationship with the natural world through film, something filmmakers like Burch and Spencer deeply value.
“Films are so influential and impactful, and it’s a really good stage to talk about things like this.” Burch said.
