Arizona Filmmaker Turns a Movie Into a Movement to Protect a River
This is a local story with a global message about the power of film to bring people together to advocate for protecting natural treasures. No matter where you live there are beautiful places that need to be cherished and protected. The desire to become active is usually inspired by our love for a place which is born of knowing and connecting with the land. Media is one of our most potent tools for inspiration, education, and advocacy. Arizona filmmaker Hugh Denno, along with a community of concerned individuals, have created a template that combines media with civic engagement that can be replicated in places all over the world.
“If we can’t bring everyone to the river, then we will use film to bring the river to the people.” -Hugh Denno, River Guide and Viva la Verde Filmmaker
Seeds of an Emerging Paradigm in Media
There are many organizations and individuals who are innovating creative ways to apply media in to inspire action for positive environmental or social change. Technology, social media, and films have become an integral part of our world and thus they have a huge influence on shaping our culture. This was the founding principle behind Culture Collective, an early collaboration with the Creative Visions Foundation.
“This is the future of environmental advocacy as it incorporates a cross-platform media approach to making positive change while empowering individuals with solutions.” -Viva la Verde Website
A Sprouting Movement
Creative Visions has become a global community of impact media makers that was founded by Kathy Eldon in honor of her son Dan, an acclaimed photojournalist. Films for Action has applied this concept to social media with a blog and Facebook Page that makes these videos available to a large audience online. PVBLIC Foundation hosts an annual symposium of media for social impact in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly each fall in New York City. Film festivals like Telluride Mountain Film, Wild and Scenic Film Fest, and others are sprouting up with this same focus of inspiring dialogue around contemporary social and environmental issues. Even large companies with a sustainable mandate like Patagonia are now funding these types of films.
“We today use media and advertising to influence people and everything they do; from what they buy to what they wear to where they shop — media influences all of our decisions…We believe that this power of influence could also be utilized to connect people at a level of consciousness that engages them to affect change, to do good and care about building a better tomorrow, today.” -Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Chairman, PVBLIC Foundation
Local Models Reach Global Audiences
With barriers to access dissolving for content-creators due to social media and digital technology, filmmakers and activists are able to learn from each other across the globe. A big hurdle has always been how to take the audience from being a passive consumer/viewer of a film and into becoming an active participant in local issues. Even Participant Media, a leader in the movement with over 100 feature-length documentaries and 70 Academy Award nominations, has a gaping hole between watching and doing. This is a healthy critique as Participant Media is a personal favorite of mine, yet the “Take Action” link on their website just takes you to a page where you can subscribe to their email. The potential to build movements, create real impact, influence policy and more is still largely untapped!
“Traveling and working in the wilderness teaches us how to accomplish monumental goals with minimal resources.” -Hugh Denno, River Guide and Viva la Verde Filmmaker
From Inspiration to Action
Corporations have certainly excelled at shaping public policy through local and state ballot initiatives. Groups like ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) have unfortunately been working for the interests of extractive industries, or the fossil fuel lobby and mostly sponsored by nefarious individuals like the Koch Brothers. On the other side of the coin we have environmental advocacy groups like the Center for Biological Diversity using the legal framework to protect ecosystems.
When independent filmmakers with a social/environmental mission connect the dots between environment and policy-making while building local coalitions as part of their film’s outreach campaign, we will see some real magic. This is exactly what Hugh Denno and his team at Viva la Verde have done in order to protect one of the Southwest’s most valuable ecological treasures. Now imagine applying this formula to climate change issues, or the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and you will see how this local story is replicable globally.
“The Verde River provides 190+ miles of meandering sanctuary to life in this arid landscape. This rare and important ecosystem could dry up and disappear just as Arizona’s five other perennial rivers already have, if we don’t raise awareness and take action… The purpose of this film is to change groundwater extraction laws, to teach communities how to save water, and to save the Verde River.” -Viva la Verde Website
It Starts with the Profound Love of a Place
Hugh Denno started the Viva la Verde film as a student at Prescott College, where he studied conservation biology and adventure education, in Arizona. The idea originally came from a dream he had to protect rivers while paddling the Amazon. As a wilderness/river guide, he fell in love with the Verde River. I met him 10 years ago when this project was just a dream and a senior project. Then he lead a successful crowdfunding and sponsorship campaign to finish the film and take it on tour. This past November he celebrated the 100th screening of his film in schools, libraries, and community hubs across the state!
His film, Viva la Verde has been seen by more than 10,000 people in live events! A truly grass-roots effort as Mr. Denno drove around Arizona in an old VW Bus (before it broke down) with a head-full of golden dreadlocks, a passion for the land and a love for the people who inhabit it. Hugh has brought together a broad coalition of organizations and individuals to celebrate and protect the Verde River with his film by integrating his background in environmental education, social media, film, and grassroots community organizing practices.
The film covers a number of topics that fluidly tell the story of an endangered river along with the challenges and potential solutions for balancing the needs of a growing population with this delicate, arid ecosystem. The river literally bubbles out of the ground from springs that are fed by an ancient aquifer but groundwater pumping from local development is endangering one of the last living rivers in Arizona. Though this film and campaign have been focused in Arizona, they will be showing it throughout the greater Southwest region. This project is relevant beyond Arizona because it provides a case study of an issue that is facing many western rivers. Viva la Verde also provides a powerful template that can be applied to other areas globally that are facing similar growing pains.
Grassroots Coalition-Building
So often there are numerous organizations in a region with similar objectives that might compete, or not work together. This film brings together these various organizations while also advocating, and educating the general public about their common interests. Groups like the local indigenous Yavapai-Apache Nation, the local chapters of Sierra Club, Citizen’s Water Advocacy Group, Audubon Society, Prescott College, and many others worked together to cross-promote, support, and galvanize their bases. Local artists created the hand-animated sequences, and the musical score for the film.
As this film and others like it continue to inspire audiences perhaps Netflix, PBS, and larger distributors will recognize the value of this emerging genre. Hugh has since started a company called Hueman Productions in order to consult and help others do this important work. He continues leading hikes and river trips to make sure people develop a connection to these wild places. If you would like to support more Viva la Verde educational presentations at schools, please visit here!
From Microcosm to Macrocosm
Arizona has a proud legacy of rugged self-sufficiency which can be an example for communities everywhere that are impacted by extractive industries and climate change. The importance of water conservation, rain-water harvesting, and preservation of critical ecosystems can be taught through film and media but must be partnered with grassroots efforts on the ground. This can include community gatherings (to clean up trash, plant trees, remove invasive species, etc.), and local ballot initiatives. Everyone has the tools whether with their smartphone, making a film, or social media to advocate for local issues and organize, and we need people everywhere to step up. Hugh Denno and the Viva la Verde film have done an exemplary job of showing how a movie can become a movement!
As this movement of media as a tool for advocacy continues to grow it is important to highlight the success of local innovators. Shared inspiration and the crowdsourcing of ideas will continue to help this sort of important work evolve. By sharing articles like this, watching independent media, and getting involved with important local issues each of us is making an important contribution to creating a better future for all of us!