Bainbridge filmmakers Benjamin Greené and Benj Cameron present their recently completed documentary about the Redwood forest landscape.
“A film of startling craftsmanship and design, Bury Me in Redwood Country is destined to go places—its assured cinematography, accomplished sound design, and methodical pacing suggest comparisons to films like Rivers & Tides. A meditative yet thrilling film that lets the trees, and a few select aficionados, tell their own story.” ~ Michael Falter, Program Director, Pickford Film Center
The Redwood tree is a meditation on extremes. It evolved ages before the emergence of man, persisting through the coming and going of ice ages and dinosaurs. Many alive today were young trees before the birth of Christ. The Redwood is the tallest and largest tree on the planet, the scaffolding of vibrant micro-ecosystems, and constituent of a cathedralic spiritual aesthetic.
Bury Me in Redwood Country takes us into that landscape, constructing a meditative experience that pulls the viewer into the ancient and ephemeral realm of the trees.
FEATURING
Steve Sillett - Redwood Canopy Scientist, Humboldt State University Michael Taylor and Chris Atkins - Naturalists and Champion Tall Tree Explorers (Co-discovered the tallest known tree on the planet) Jim Wheeler - Interpretive Ranger, Redwoods National and State Parks Ruskin Hartley - Executive Director, Save the Redwoods League Ralph Hirt - Retired Forester Fern and Ada Charles Bates - Yurok Elder Basket Weavers Jerry Partain - Former President, California Department of Forestry
AND Patricia Gerity - Park Ranger, Redwoods National and State Parks
Last Look At Port Blakeley
Bury Me in Redwood Country will be preceded by Benj Cameron's Last Look At Port Blakeley, a documentary short film featuring the childhood memories of two old island men whose summers were spent at the Country Club, in close proximity to the remnants of the milltown at Port Blakely. The film centers around footage of the Bainbridge Hotel burning down on August 12, 1928, as well as contemporary footage of lingering vestiges as they are today. Last Look At Port Blakeley is currently unreleased in any format, and the archival footage is held in private copyright, so the screening is a unique chance to see a rare filmed event in Bainbridge's early history.
Last Look At Port Blakeley was made completely by Benj Cameron in 2008, and shot on Super16mm film, with archival 32mm footage. 14 minutes.
More About Bury Me in Redwood Country
Bury Me in Redwood Country is a feature-length documentary inspired by a land of extreme nature, where one enters as entering a cathedral. Executed as an act of reverence, the film strives after the “spiritual aesthetic” of the Redwood forest, while touching on the natural and cultural history of the landscape. The narrative evolves from the perspectives of notable characters with deep associations with Redwood trees. The atmosphere travels from frenzied bushwhacking in dense wilderness to the simplicity of floating, ascended, through a foggy grove. The recurring music is from Ockeghem’s Missa Caput, a 15th century liturgical chant performed by the French choir Graindelavoix.
There is a natural reverence that accompanies looking up at mighty trees and contemplating the centuries of human history encapsulated in their roots, trunks and branches. The oldest Redwoods are over 2000 years and the species dates before the emergence of dinosaurs. Its vast root system extends a hundred feet in all directions, merging with roots of neighboring Redwoods. In the crown, lattice structures of parallel trunks and fused branches form “aerial cathedrals,” housing vibrant micro-ecosystems of plants and animals, and even individual trees. The Redwood is the tallest and largest tree on the planet, dominating forest stands in competition for light with Douglas Fir, Hemlock, and Sitka Spruce. When a Redwood tree dies, the fallen trunk and roots sprout, growing new Redwoods in an everlasting cycle of regeneration.
With a grant from the Save the Redwoods League, private donations and investments of a professional gambler, the filmmakers spent three production shoots spanning four seasons in the oldest forests of California and various locations along the Northern California coast. They interviewed scientists, park rangers, foresters, naturalists, Native Americans and conservationists. Welcomed by the scientific and parks community, their cameras were given unprecedented access to coveted locations, kept secret from the public for their pristine qualities and exceptionally old Redwood trees. These include the “Sistine Chapel” of redwood groves and the “Grove of Titans” with the tallest and oldest redwoods concentrated along an untouched river sanctuary. Highly selective locations combined with aesthetically driven photography in HD and Super-16mm resulted in a visually stunning film.
The documentary follows a diverse group of characters as they work and live in the Redwood landscape, referred to by some as “Redwood Country”. Michael Taylor is the leading discoverer of the tallest trees on the planet. He co-discovered the tallest known tree Hyperion with Chris Atkins in 2006. Michael and Chris are featured heavily in the film. Together they descend into an unknown unnamed basin to discover and measure a massive 356 ft tall tree. They are also followed separately to remote locations, where they share individual regard for the trees. Steve Sillett is considered the foremost Redwoods expert. His research consists of climbing super tall trees to study micro-ecosystems that are afforded by large and complex crowns. He has been the subject of National Geographic documentaries, magazine articles and non-fiction books, giving him a begrudged celebrity status. His narratable voice-overs cover a breadth of subjects from limitations on tree height, the fear of climbing, to the community of plants and animals living at the tops of Redwoods. Ada Charles Bates is the oldest living Yurok tribal elder and basketweaver. She is sadly suffering from dementia, and was accompanied in the interview by her daughter Fern Bates, who discusses the matrilineal tradition of basketweaving and gathering. Ada maintains a delightful sense of humor in the first interview she ever gave. Ralph Hirt is a gem, encountered running amongst mammoth trees in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. He is a retired forester who proclaims without a hint of guilt that he is responsible for the cutting of millions of Redwood trees. He retired to 100-mile ultra-marathon running and continues with the hobby into his 70s, having recently finished his hundredth 100-mile run. Ralph discusses logging history, running in Redwood Country and the importance of enjoying life in every aspect.
Other characters in the film include Ruskin Hartley, the Executive Director of the leading Redwoods conservation organization; Jerry Partain, the former President of the California Department of Forestry and Founder of the Forestry Department at Humboldt State University; Patricia Gerrity, Park Ranger and Redwoods enthusiast; and Jim Wheeler, Senior Park Ranger and Historian.
For more information about the film, please visit online.
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