ROOTS OF RESILIENCE profiles two communities devoted to Northern temperate rainforests, linked by latitude. The film weaves an urgent race to protect the world’s largest temperate rainforest, with rewilders awakening long lost forests. From the Pacific to the Atlantic, these stories invite a new relationship with forests that sustain us.
SYNOPSIS
Set against a backdrop of climate disruption and forest loss, ROOTS OF RESILIENCE weaves two stories infused with hope and urgency, in Northern landscapes linked by salmon and historically vast forests.
An urgent race to protect remaining old growth is underway along the Pacific Coast shared by Canada and the US. The world’s largest temperate rainforest is under threat, with stakes made higher by recent American elections. In a region known for indigenous communities with deep cultural connections to the forest, logging continues on both sides of the border. The Tongass National Forest in Alaska is in peril as a new administration proposes to re-open areas to logging and development.
On the same latitude across the globe, rugged moors of the Northern British Isles offer a foretaste of former rainforest, in a landscape transformed by millennia of human impact. Long ago these isles were blanketed by the Caledonian woods to the North. The people of these forests, fierce protectors in their time, inspired Romans to construct Hadrian’s Wall near the boundary between England and Scotland. Today, Scotland and neighboring Ireland are among the most deforested places on earth. Less than 2% of ancient forest remains, yet rewilders dream of forests long lost to early colonization, industry and conflict.
The fate of temperate rainforests impacts us all, given their vital role in sequestering carbon and fostering biodiversity. Together these stories speak of resilience, loss, and renewal. Can we build a more sustainable relationship to the forests that sustain us?
Director Statement
I have been telling stories about people and places of the Pacific Northwest for two decades, while living on the Olympic Peninsula, a lush world of waterways and mountains, known for its temperate rainforest. Yet the seeds for this film were planted in two places, close to home and on the other side of the world. I attended the international climate conference in Glasgow (COP26) where assembled nations made a new commitment to forests, a promise to “halt and reverse” global deforestation by 2030. Although my distant family heritage is in Scotland and Ireland, this was my first trip to these beautiful and windswept isles.
Closer to home, in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve had the privilege of working with many indigenous collaborators. During a recent film project, a former tribal chairman asked a thought-provoking question about the landscape of my ancestors. Our ensuing exchange planted the second seed for this film. I became curious about the lost Caledonian wood, in a landscape that shares both climate and latitude with the Pacific Northwest. At the same time, I wondered how this history shaped European settlers, particularly in the world I call home. Will a cycle of extreme deforestation be repeated, from one side of the globe to the other, or can we learn from examples of the past?
Supporter Statement
“Jessica’s previous film, Return of the River, demonstrated that nature could be restored to health in spite of human interference, and that gave me hope. The idea of protecting forests and rewilding forests to restore the health of the planet is both exciting and reassuring. I trust this story will come to life in Jessica’s capable and inspired hands.” - Cynthia (Founding Donor)
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Director Jessica Plumb
Jessica Plumb is an award-winning filmmaker and writer known for exploring the relationship between people, and the land and waters that sustain us. She is the Producer and Co-Director of the feature documentary Return of the River, chronicling Elwha River restoration, a film recognized with multiple awards including “Best Storytelling” by the International Wildlife Film Festival, and “Best Writing” in science media. Collectively her films have appeared in over 50 film festivals and garnered 20 awards. Plumb’s video production company produces short films on environmental topics for clients including HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, National Geographic Learning, the Clean Energy Transition Institute, Original Pursuit Inc., and numerous non-profit institutions. Her recent work includes a trilogy of films addressing the shared extinction threat facing Southern Resident Killer Whales and Chinook salmon in the Salish Sea. Plumb’s writing on Elwha River restoration was published by the Best American Science & Media Writing 2022 and her work can be found in Orion Magazine and other publications. She holds a B.A. from Yale University, an interdisciplinary MFA from Goddard College, and is currently a Fellow of the Salish Sea Institute at Western Washington University. After stints in Boston and Beijing, Jessica made her home on the Olympic Peninsula, close to land and waters she loves. For more please see www.plumbproductions.com.
Producer Ann Wilkinson Ellis is a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest who grew up digging clams and swimming in the Salish waters surrounding Bainbridge Island. In 2000 Ann co-produced the award-winning independent feature film, Farewell to Harry. Ann’s a dramaturg and consultant on numerous shorts and features including A Relative Thing and Meltdown by Garrett Bennett and documentary film It Takes a Village by filmmaker, Julianne Reynolds. This film’s dedication to the restoration and defense of temperate rainforests resonates with Ann, for its relevance in highlighting our biophilic connection with nature. Ann also shares Northwest roots and Scottish ancestry.
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Women Make Movies (WMM), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media arts organization registered with the New York Charities Bureau of New York State and accepts charitable donations on behalf of this project. Your donation will be spent by the filmmaker(s) toward the production and completion of this media project. No services or goods are provided by Women Make Movies, the filmmaker(s) or anyone else associated with this project in exchange for your charitable donation.
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