For The Cortez Journal
Mountain Studies Institute hosts a showing of Once Upon a Forest as a kickoff for the Southwest Old Growth Forests Conference at the Smiley Building on Sunday, Aug. 3. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the film will start at 7 p.pm. Food, drink and alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. A raffle will follow the film.
Written and directed by Luc Jaquet, Once Upon a Forest invites the spectator into a never-before-seen world of natural wonder and staggering beauty. For the first time, we will be able to watch a rain forest growing before our eyes. Drawing on a vast fund of research and knowledge, Once Upon a Forest will lead viewers on a journey into the depths of the tropical jungle … into the very heart of life on earth. The film will deliver a complete sensory immersion in the primaeval splendor of one of nature’s richest mysteries, inviting the audience to enter, discover and marvel at a universe of untold treasures while joining its voice to the ever-growing awareness of the need to preserve our world.
The film is open to the public, and all proceeds will go to Mountain Studies Institute to promote research and education in the San Juans. Purchase tickets in advance at Pine Needle Mountaineering, 835 Main Ave. Durango for $10 or $12 at the door on August 3rd. A panel discussion by forest scientists, to immediately follow the film, will explore connections with the film to old growth forests in the Four Corners. For more information, visit www.mountainstudies.org or call 970-382-6908.