“The Ground Between Us" at Augustana College -- February 12.
Sunday, February 12, 2 p.m.
Augustana College's F.W. Oline Center for Educational Technology, 733 35th Street, Rock Island IL
Screening at Augustana College on February 12 and hailed by Video Librarian as "an amazing documentary that comes with interesting images and striking sound bites," The Ground Between Us serves as the fourth presentation in River Action's annual QC Environmental Film Series , the work lauded by ArtsFuse as a "timely new documentary casts an ambitious wide-screen, full-color gaze on public lands in America."
Since 2017, public lands throughout America have faced unprecedented threats. Bears Ears National Monument was shrunk by 85 percent, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was opened to oil exploration, and the Elliott State Forest in Oregon was nearly privatized. Throughout this, Americans from both sides of the political spectrum have stood up and made their voices heard in support of protecting these areas. The Ground Between Us presents these public-lands debates alongside the day-to-day realities of three families who hold vastly different connections and perspectives on public lands, demonstrating that even in in a divided America, public lands can be a uniting factor.
The result of nearly four years of work, 200 hours of footage, and teamwork between more than 30 people, The Ground Between Us was co-directed by Zeppelin Zeerip and Galen Knowles. Zeerip is a filmmaker and conservationist with a passion for character and environmental driven narratives. His urge to protect the natural world brought him from the banks of the Arctic Ocean to the halls of Congress as he lobbied members to stand in support of America’s public lands and prevent oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Zeerip is also a Hewlett Foundation grant recipient and member of the Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance. Meanwhile, since 2015, Knowles has directed and filmed more 450 hours of footage for Far From Home, an award-winning, 73-minute film that premiered at 14 film festivals around the world. During that process, Knowles also shot and edited several commercial projects for Vimeo, Red Bull, REI, The Olympic Channel, and Intel, and currently runs WZRD Media in Salt Lake City.
The Ground Between Us will be screened in Augustana College's F.W. Oline Center for Educational Technology on February 12, admission to the 2 p.m. showing is $5, and more information on the QC Environmental Film Series is available by calling (563)322-2969 and visiting RiverAction.org/filmseries.
