KEARNEY – Several short films on U.S. river systems, including a documentary created by University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty members, will be featured during the inaugural River Stories Media Festival.
The festival, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday (March 29) at The World Theatre, 2318 Central Ave., in Kearney, is hosted by UNK Department of Communication faculty members Jacob Rosdail and Mary Harner.
Rosdail and Harner will present their documentary, “Life on the Gila,” which focuses on residents’ connections to the Gila River in southwest New Mexico and their visions for its future. The Gila River is one of the most dynamic and natural rivers remaining in the U.S., but its fate is uncertain as projects along its path progress.
The festival, which is free and open to the public, includes several other projects highlighting river systems and people’s connections to them. A panel discussion with artists will follow the screenings.
Other featured projects include:
Platte Basin Timelapse project
Multimedia selections from the Platte Basin Timelapse project, including time-lapse videos, poetry by Don Welsh combined with river imagery and soundscape time-lapses from the Platte River
The Platte Basin Timelapse project, co-founded by Michael Farrell and award-winning conservation photographer Michael Forsberg, has more than 50 time-lapse camera systems placed throughout the 90,000-square-mile Platte River basin stretching from the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to the confluence with the Missouri River along Nebraska’s eastern border.
Images captured by these cameras and other recordings are used to create multimedia content that tells a myriad of stories about the Platte River and other water sources. The project is based at the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
‘Hidden Rivers’
A preview of the upcoming film series by Freshwaters Illustrated on the vibrant, yet little-known, life of southern Appalachian rivers. Freshwaters Illustrated is a nonprofit founded in 2003 to educate audiences about the life, study and conservation of freshwater ecosystems and provide resources to scientists, educators and media specialists.
‘What You Take Away – A Colorado River Reflection’
This film by Freshwaters Illustrated focuses on the Colorado River ecosystem from the perspective of a teenager guided by river currents, curiosity and scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey.
‘The River and the Wall’
A preview of the film by Ben Masters, Hillary Pierce and Jay Kleberg that follows a team of adventurers on a 1,200-mile journey to explore the Rio Grande River and U.S.-Mexico border before a border wall is constructed.
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Writer: Tyler Ellyson, writing specialist, UNK News, 308.865.8529, ellysontd@unk.edu
Source: Mary Harner, UNK Department of Communication, 308.865.8639, harnermj@unk.edu
