From the Makers of Red Gold:
The Bristol Bayou region of Southwest Alaska is home to the Kvichak and Nushagak rivers, the two most prolific sockeye salmon runs in the world. Two mining companies have proposed an open pit and underground mine at the headwaters of the two rivers. The area is the second largest deposit of copper, gold and molybdenum ever discoverd and has an estimated value of more than $300 billion. Despite promises of a clean project by mining officials, the accident plagued history of hard rock mining has wroght one of the biggest land use issues Alaska has ever faced.
Red gold gives a face to the issue and a voice to the people of Bristol Bay who depend on this extraordinary fishery. The film makers set out to create a different kind of documenteray - one that gives all sides a chance to be seen and heard. Red Gold is more about the place and its people than facts and numbers. For the first time, Briso Bay's subsistence, commercial and sport fishing communities have joined together for a common cause.
John's Comments:
I found this film hit very close to home in the way that the opportunity of modern industry often contrasts with the traditional lives of the native peoples of an area. It made me think of what it must have been like when the Atchafalaya Basin was logged in the early 1900's - offering jobs that took many people away from their traditional fishing livelihoods. I found the film beautiful, poignant and informative - leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions. I hope you'll join us for a film that will leave you with many things to think about.
Film Review:
In Bristol Bay, Alaska, a controversial copper and gold mine is proposed at the headwaters of Talarik Creek and Koktuli River, the world's largest salmon fishery where tens of millions of trophy-size salmon spawn each year.
The film, Red Gold, tells a story of remote Native American sustenance-users, Alaskan commercial fisherman, sport fisherman and residence that all share the commonality of salmon fishing at the core of their existence. For the first time, all user groups have come together in opposition of Pebble Mine development - the story at the heart of this film.
Red Gold premiered at Telluride Mountainfilm and won the "Audience Award" and the "Festival Director Award," along with great enthusiasm and standing ovations for Telluride local filmmakers, Travis Rummel and Ben Knight of Felt Soul Media, an award-winning producer of fly-fishing films.
Ben Knight, the co-director of Red Gold, had a goal of no narration in this film. After 10 years at a newspaper industry, he wanted to be unbiased as possible. "I wanted people to tell the story the way they wanted it to be heard," he said in an interview following the awards ceremony at Telluride Mountainfilm.
And this truly comes out in the film. As most environmental-based films have an agenda and narration is the most common way to express a film's objective, instead Red Gold lets the residents of Bristol Bay tell the story.
But that was also a challenges in creating this film: finding the right voice to represent all sides of the story - along with timing the three-week salmon run in the location of wild, remote Alaska.
"It was a great experience to sit back and let the two filmmakers find the story and listen to passionate people on both sides," said Lauren Oakes, Alaska Trout Unlimited Program Officer who assisted with logistics for the film.
