Films

Here are some films covering a variety of mountain protection topics that feature our Mountain PA Network members or were produced with their assistance:

CLIMATE CHANGE: A Community Dares to Take the First Step

This is a 2009 documentary film (28 minutes, 1.5gb file) produced by the award-winning young conservationist Dawa Steven Sherpa and his community-based non-profit organization iDEAS in the Khumbu/Everest region of Nepal.

The movie showcases how the traditional Sherpa village of Khumjung has come together to educate and inform people of their region about the growing impacts of climate change.  They have devised a special foot race which highlights the devastation they face from the imminent dangers of glacial lake outbursts (GLOFs) from the region's rapidly-melting glaciers, plus declining seasonal snowpacks that supply local fresh water year-round to the high mountain villages.

Their footrace is a clever metaphor for the Sherpas' race against time to find ways to preserve their culture and way of life in the face of severe climate changes in their region, sometimes called the world's "Third Pole", whose ice and snow also supply fresh water to over 2 billion people in Asia.

 MOUNTAINS IN THE MIST

cloudforests_globe.gifA documentary about the mystic cloud forests of the world, featuring a number of mountain experts including our Senior Adviser Dr. Lawrence Hamilton. It shows not only the beauty of these special ecosystems, but also their benefits for society. It tries to present solutions for better protection of cloud forests. Available on DVD from Halsundbeinbruch Films

YosemiteClimbers-sm.jpgVERTICAL FRONTIER

A documentary about the long and colorful history of climbing in Yosemite dating back to the days of John Muir. It also shows why climbers around the world consider Yosemite's cliffs "sacred", and how climbers and National Park Service (NPS) Rangers came together to protect Yosemite Valley after a devastating flood in 1997. Featuring a number of NPS experts, California's State Historian, and legendary climbers who are also noted environmentalists such as Yvon Chouinard and the late David Brower. Winner of many awards around the world. Available on DVD  

 

MONUMENTALbrowerwithcamera-sm.jpg

A documentary about the life and work of renowned conservationist David Brower. The film relies on archival footage and photos taken by Brower and his friends from the 1930s to 1990s. Brower's passion for environmental conservation evolved from his early days as an avid rock climber and mountaineer in the Sierra Nevada. Brower took over the leadership of the Sierra Club in 1952, and instilled a sense of urgency and environmental awareness into the venerable organization. His work resulted in saving treasures like Utah's Dinosaur National Monument and large stretches of the Grand Canyon from mining, damming, and destruction.

Brower also was instrumental in lobbying for passage of landmark Wilderness Act of 1964 and creation of North Cascades National Park, Great Basin National Park, Redwood National Park, and both Cape Cod and Point Reyes National Seashores. This film pays tribute to Brower's vision by using the archival footage of America's Western wilderness from the 1930s through the 1960s. This gives the viewer the context of the times, shows Brower's accomplishments and setbacks, and allows us today to see some of the world's lost scenic treasures. Haunting scenes of Glen Canyon in its full, pre-flooded magnificence and as it is dammed remind us that Brower's fight was not always victorious, and more work is left of us to do.
Available on DVD