"Moved by Waters" at the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center -- September 14.
Saturday, September 14, 2:30 p.m.
Wapsi River Environmental Education Center, 31555 52nd Avenue, Dixon IL
Demonstrating that what unites us is more important than what divides us, the Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films turn their documentary lens on their Quad Cities home base in a September 14 screening of Moved by Waters. This special afternoon event at Dixon's Wapsi River Environmental Education Center will allow audiences to discover a network of people and organizations working toward improved water quality in the Upper Mississippi watershed.
Moved by Waters is an uplifting and inspirational documentary that depicts collaborative projects involving organizations and diverse groups of students, teachers, artists, farmers, and volunteers of all ages. Setting aside political or other differences, all are working toward improving the quality of water in the Quad Cities region in the Upper Mississippi Watershed. Did you know a piece of trash discarded in a Moline neighborhood can end up in the Gulf of Mexico? How is water quality monitored and evaluated? Is water pollution an urban or rural challenge? How does water quality affect wildlife and their habitat? These and other important questions are explored in Moved by Waters. We all need water that is clean and safe to drink, and the people and projects in the Rundles' film model a way forward that benefits both humanity and the environment.
“The Moved by Waters story is the opposite of the national narrative," said writer/director Kelly Rundle. "The national narrative tells us that Americans are too divided politically to work together on anything. The people we met and talked to while making this film showed us the opposite.”
“Ultimately, we need clean water to survive,” says Amy Kay, who is the clean water manager for the City of Davenport and appears in the film. “Not to be too doomsday-esque, but if we can’t work together for something that we need to survive, we’re in big trouble."
“Every creature great or small has an intrinsic, innate value in and of itself," says naturalist Dave Murica, who also appears in Moved by Waters. "Mother Nature doesn’t need us, but we need Mother Nature. So when it comes down to clean water specifically we are the one animal on this planet that pollutes its own environment.”
“I’m a sixth generation farmer,” Mike Paustian adds during his interview for the film. “My grandfather and my father spent a lot of time trying to make improvements to the farm and minimize the impact on the environment. And now it’s my turn to care for the farm and make sure it’s in good shape for the next generation.”
In addition to Moved by Waters, the September 14 event at the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center will feature the Rundles' Emmy Award-winning documentary short Over and Under: Wildlife Crossings and their Emmy-nominated short Places to be Wild, and the screenings will conclude with a talkback with the filmmakers and naturalist Murcia. Admission to the 2:30 p.m. screening is free, and more information is available by visiting ScottCountyIowa.gov/conservation/wapsi and FourthWallFilms.com.
