NEW DOCUMENTARY FILM IN PRODUCTION
Sustainable Driftless, working with Untamed Science, is in the midst of producing a new, feature-length documentary film about our ruggedly beautiful and amazing Driftless Region.
And that’s what filmmaking is. It’s a hike. – Joss Whedon
Why Make a Feature-length film?
At film festivals and screenings all around the Midwest, audiences have been yearning for more about the Driftless Area. Television networks have asked us for a longer film, as well. The documentary short, Mysteries of the Driftless, whets the appetite for learning about the Driftless Region, but huge segments of the area’s natural history were omitted in order to keep the pilot under a half-hour. Major mysteries are yet to be revealed. In Decoding the Driftless, the filmmakers will give viewers the perspective of dangling from ropes on cliffs 500 feet above the Mississippi, as well as plumbing the depths of the river on a voyage of discovery and wonder as we explore the geological, biological and archaeological aspects of the Driftless.
It’s a lot of work to make a feature-length film–an enormous undertaking. As Joss Whedon said:
“What I do like is hiking. And that’s what filmmaking is. It’s a hike. It’s challenging and exhausting, and you don’t know what the terrain is going to be or necessarily even which direction you’re going in… but it sure is beautiful.”
But we’re compelled to do this, because we believe it’s one of the most effective ways to get more people to recognize how special the area really is, and to be better stewards of the landscape.
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
Please join us on our adventure of discovery as we make our new film about the Driftless Region. And share your stories with us. Because you are one of the reasons the Driftless is so special.