Indigenous

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Director Trip Jennings Shares Promising Solutions in 'Elemental: Reimagining Wildfire'

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Director Trip Jennings Shares Promising Solutions in 'Elemental: Reimagining Wildfire'

In the wake of destructive wildfires across the nation, “Elemental: Reimagining Wildfire” takes a crucial and compelling look at solutions to reimagine wildfire through the voices of climate experts, Indigenous people, and fire survivors. 

Filmmaker Trip Jennings is also known for his films Rewilding a Mountain (2020) and Postcards from Climate Change (2013).

The film's director, Trip Jennings, founded Balance Media and has worked with National Geographic for over a decade. His films have won dozens of awards around the world and have aired on major networks on every continent. 

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Navajo Filmmaker Creates 'Powerlands' as Act of Resistance

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Navajo Filmmaker Creates 'Powerlands' as Act of Resistance

Editor’s note: “Powerlands” will screen as part of the One Earth Film Fest on Tuesday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. CST, both virtually and in person at two locations: Pilot Project Brewing in Chicago and Oak Park Public Library in Oak Park. Get tickets for all options here.

Ivey-Camille Manybeads Tso is a young Navajo filmmaker who investigates the displacement of Indigenous people and the devastation of the environment caused by the same chemical companies exploiting the land where she was born. Her award-winning documentary, “Powerlands,,” chronicles the eerily similar struggles of Indigenous communities across Colombia, the Philippines, Mexico, and Standing Rock.  Despite being worlds apart, these communities face the same battles against the same big energy companies, like Peabody, BHP and Glencore. 

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Filmmaker Q&A with Clement Guerra of 'The Condor and The Eagle'

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Filmmaker Q&A with Clement Guerra of 'The Condor and The Eagle'

Most people who get married and decide to have children build a nest and settle in. Clement and Sophie Guerra did the opposite: they cashed in their savings and flew to South America. The result of their deep commitment to listening and learning is the revealing documentary “The Condor and the Eagle,” a film that profiles women leaders of communities most impacted by the fossil fuel industry. It will be screening on Tuesday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

Julie Howe interviewed Clement Guerra to learn more about why they made the film and what they learned.

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Filmmaker Q&A with Sanjay Rawal of 'Gather: The Fight to Revitalize Our Native Foodways'

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Filmmaker Q&A with Sanjay Rawal of 'Gather: The Fight to Revitalize Our Native Foodways'

Q: What is the focus of your film?

A: The film looks at colonization and the destruction of food systems, and at those attempting to revive them. It focuses on areas that were colonized post-1870s, west of the Mississippi—places where I could find the essential imagery, the photographic evidence, I needed to tell these stories. The challenge was to hone a very large subject scope into something based in image. Structure is essential in film, as are length considerations, as is, of course, finding the best stories to tell.

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This Land Was Their Land: Forest Preserves Honor Native Americans

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This Land Was Their Land: Forest Preserves Honor Native Americans

Begin with this: Today, nearly 65,000 Native Americans, representing more than 100 tribal nations, live in Chicagoland—making this one of the largest urban Native American populations in the country.

Move on to this: I have lived in Chicagoland for over 30 years, and I only recently learned what I’ve just told you. For this new awareness, I credit the Forest Preserve Foundation’s October symposium, called “Racial Equity and Access to Nature.”