Supporters of Bristol Bay, Alaska, and defenders of the world’s largest and last fully-intact wild salmon run, today announced an encore livestream airing of “The Wild,” an award-winning documentary that deals directly with the controversial Pebble Mine in Alaska and how this last-of-its-kind wild salmon ecosystem hangs in the balance.
The national livestream event will take place Saturday, August 29th at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern time.
Monday, the Trump Administration’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reversed course and is now pausing a permit to the proposed Pebble Mine, citing that the proposed mine would cause “unavoidable adverse impacts to aquatic resources” in Alaska’s pristine Bristol Bay watershed that has sustained Indigenous subsistence cultures for thousands of years. Following this announcement, both U.S. Republican Senators from Alaska declared that they agreed with this decision. The Pebble Mine now has 90 days to submit a mitigation plan.
“We are relieved, of course, with this decision and view the pausing of this permit as a significant roadblock to the development of this disastrous open-pit mine,” said filmmaker Mark Titus. “But we are still cautious as it’s not yet a final blow, the fight remains until Bristol Bay is fully protected.”
THE WILD tells the real-life David and Goliath story focused on the perseverance of nature vs the ecological impact of open-pit mining. The documentary features interviews with Pebble Mine CEO and Board Chairman, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, Yupik, Dena’ina and Alutiiq Civic Leaders, actor Mark Harmon, celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, actor/activist Adrian Grenier, congressional gold medal recipient Steve Gleason, among other luminaries.
The Wild is an important film for this precarious moment in American history. The latest passion project by acclaimed director, Mark Titus, the film connects the dangers of the Pebble Mine to Titus’s own story as a recovering alcoholic.
“Every alcoholic knows the folly of these six words: This time it will be different,” Titus said. “The same is true of the last of our wild places. Time and again we have watched these “projects” erase what’s left of them. If we lose Bristol Bay, it’s the end of the line. If we can’t treat our disease that is fueled by the unrelenting quest for more, we will lose our last, greatest source of regenerative wild food and an economy that could go on forever if we leave it be. We don’t get a next time if Bristol Bay falls now.”
More than just a documentary about saving the last pristine habitat for wild salmon in the world, The Wild also explores the impact Pebble Mine could have on America’s food security – as Bristol Bay’s sustainable salmon fishery is an inexhaustible, regenerative supply of wild caught food. It is about the indigenous rights of the Yupik, Dena’ina and Alutiiq People, who stand to lose a millennia-old culture and organic food supply that could last forever if undisturbed. And it threatens the $1.5+ billion-dollar annual fishing industry, 14,000 American jobs and half the world’s supply of sockeye salmon.
Prior to the film screening, audiences will virtually participate in a musical invocation from Alaska Indigenous leaders and special guests. Then, viewers at home will be encouraged to join a live, virtual Cook-Along featuring wild Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon with James Beard Award winning chefs, Tom Douglas and Renee Erickson. Finally, an expert panel will follow the film screening with a live virtual Q&A.
The documentary won Best Environmental Documentary – DOC LA, as well as awards at the Boston Film Festival, Breckenridge Film Festival, Waimea Ocean Film Festival, Mystic Film Festival, and the Rob Stewart Award for Ocean Conservation.
“Wild salmon give their very lives so that life itself can continue. When salmon mature, they return to spawn at the exact spot in the exact river where they were born. Along the way they feed 137 different creatures, including us – all so the great dance can continue. It’s time for us to follow their lead. I hope we, too, can find our way home on this issue.”
Join the fight. Save what you love. Go to http://www.evaswild.com & follow @thewildfilm.
25% of ticket sales from Aug. 29th goes to the coalition working to Save Bristol Bay.
Ticket price is valued at $12 but will be sold on a sliding scale so anyone may attend the event.
Eva’s Wild is an impact brand curating authentic storytelling that reveres the wild in ourselves and on our planet.
Contact: Robb Yagmin | http://www.evaswild.com | robb@evaswild.com | 913.908.0028