Wild and Scenic Film Festival - Far Afield: A Conservation Love Story
From the “mean streets” of New Jersey to the “green streets” of Jackson Hole – a love story about two people, a place and an environment that inspires us all.
Interview with Director/Producer Jennifer Tennican
Watch Far Afield: A Conservation Love Story on Vimeo on demand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wish I could say it was my idea, but it wasn’t. I was approached by the leader of a sustainability-focused non-profit in Jackson, Wyoming (where I live); he wanted a legacy piece on Mr. Raynes, who is a conservation icon in the mold of the Muries and Aldo Leopold. He had seen my production company’s previous documentary, The Stagecoach Bar: An American Crossroads, where we used a roadhouse as the lens through which to view 70 years of cultural change in Jackson Hole. He saw how a hyper-local film resonated with a national audience and challenged us to do that with Bert’s story.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Bert is someone that every one should know. With a keen intellect, sharp wit and twinkle in his eye, this 91-year-old newspaper columnist inspires citizens to observe and care about their wild neighbors. And who doesn’t love a good love story, especially a true one.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Although Bert’s story unfolds in a small tourist town next to Grand Teton National Park, his passions are universal. He’s a skilled naturalist, defender of nature and believer in the power of conservation and democracy. Bert gently urges all of us, young and old, to believe we can make a difference.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Rebecca (the writer for Far Afield) and I knew we didn’t want this to be a heavy talking heads hagiography. We wanted the audience to experience the wildlife, landscapes and people of Jackson – the same things that drew Meg and Bert here in the 1950s. We spent time coaxing Bert to share stories. Bert was patient with us and we were patient with him. He had a great attitude and sense of humor about the whole filmmaking process.
We were lucky that Bert had strong ties to young wildlife biologists through the Meg & Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund. Bert’s world at this point in his life is his house (although we did get him out for a marvelous fall day on the Snake River). We wanted to contrast that with the worlds of the wildlife biologists – out in the field at all times of the year in all kinds of conditions. They are Bert’s eyes and ears on the landscape. It’s a beautiful multigenerational story.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The best feedback was the standing ovation at the Jackson premiere when Bert came out on stage. We’ve won some awards and the film (a 27-minute version) is being distributed nationally by American Public Television with Wyoming PBS as our presenting station.
One viewer put it better than we ever could…
“Far Afield shows how much beauty and integrity can be packed into a short film. A paean (praise and thanksgiving, both) to Jackson Hole; to the wilderness, its birdlife, and the conservation of all that; to the community of committed activist mavericks and their dream-projects-come-true. The film brought to mind Raymond Carver’s lines in his poem Late Fragment:
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
Beloved on the earth.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
What’s surprised and pleased us is that Bert’s story does resonate with a national audience.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
This platform is a way to share our work with a broader, more diverse audience. It is especially helpful to someone like me who is working in a small town in the Western U.S. I hope to make connections with other filmmakers, funders, producers and journalists. Even though filmmaking is highly collaborative, it can also be isolating. The opportunity for cross-pollination and community building is exciting. I also love the site’s commitment to highlighting females in the industry. I depend on a lot of female creatives and crew for my productions and I’m excited to get their names out into the world.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We’d like to see the film continue to reach new audiences and inspire discussions and actions around conservation and citizen science.
We covered the costs of film production through donations to our non-profit partner, The Charture Institute, so any money generated by film sales go to the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. The foundation administers the Nature Mapping program, featured in the film, via the Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund. So, sales directly support more Nature Mapping!
We produced DVDs and have distribution on public television, but we’d love to explore video-on-demand. If any distributors are interested, let us know.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We’d love to see this film and Bert’s story motivate other communities to start citizen science programs or simply encourage people to pay more attention to the wildlife in their backyards.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Does citizen science produce valuable data?
Would you like to add anything else?
You can learn more about Nature Mapping here:
http://jhwildlife.org/our-work/nature-mapping/
If you’d like to support Nature Mapping Jackson Hole, you can buy the DVD at: http://jhwildlife.org/our-work/nature-mapping/far-afield-film/
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Jennifer Tennican is working on a feature length documentary that explores the question: How do we nourish community?
The film, Hearts of Glass, tells the story of the critical first year of operation of Vertical Harvest (VH), a highly innovative, but risky, experiment in growing crops and providing meaningful employment to people with disabilities. VH is an “urban farm” on 1/10 of an acre at an elevation of 6,237 feet. The cutting-edge greenhouse is located in Jackson, Wyoming, a tourist destination with extreme seasonal fluctuations in weather, population and demand for goods and services.
Six years in the making, at a cost of $3.8 million, VH is the brainchild of two women who asked “Is it possible to provide vegetables and fruits to our community year-round while also creating fair-paying jobs in an integrated setting for citizens with disabilities?” The project combines technologically advanced vertical hydroponic farming with the social mission of employing an underserved and underestimated group – community members with developmental disabilities.
The film chronicles the first year of Vertical Harvest’s operation, exploring its impact on citizens with disabilities, its financial viability and its potential for replication in other communities.
See a trailer at: http://www.jentenproductions.com/
We’re eight months into our year of filming – principal photography will end in May when post-production will begin. We’re still fundraising for the project and this time we’ve partnered with the non-profit, Slow Food in the Tetons.
Interview: January 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Far Afield: A Conservation Love Story
From the “mean streets” of New Jersey to the “green streets” of Jackson Hole – a love story about two people, a place and an environment that inspires us all.
Length: 34 min 52 sec
Director: Jennifer Tennican
Producer: Jennifer Tennican
Writer: Rebecca Huntington
About the writer, director and producer:
Jennifer Tennican (Director/Producer) began making documentary films in the late 1990s in Boston before moving to Jackson, Wyoming in 2002. She’s drawn to stories about community and inclusion.
Rebecca Huntington (Writer) is a multi-media journalist who writes for film, radio and print. She lives and works in Jackson, Wyoming and is a frequent collaborator with Ms. Tennican.
Key cast: Bert Raynes, Steve Kilpartrick, Taza Schaming, Jay Carlisle
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Journalists, conservation groups who want to hold screenings and VOD distributors.
Funders: 1% for the Tetons, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Center of Wonder, Wyoming Humanities Council, The Nature Conservancy of Wyoming, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole News&Guide, Collister Family Donor Advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Ralph and Louise Haberfeld, Julie Giacobassi and Zach Hall, Bruce Hayse, Peter and Adrienne Ward and over 200 Friends of Bert (FOB).
Made in association with: Charture Institute and 1% for the Tetons
Release date: 2015
Where will it screen in the next month?
There might be a few festival screenings in 2017, but nothing next month. In 2016, American Public Television began distributing a TV half-hour version of the film nationally. Check your local listings because it might be showing on your local public television station next month.