EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
WHAT: Penokee Film Night and Benefit: Wisconsin's Mining Standoff and Protect Our Future with Filmmakers' Panel Discussion
WHERE: Marquee Theater, UW-Madison Union South
WHEN: 7-9 pm on Sunday, June 29
SPONSORED BY: Madison Action for Mining Alternatives, Sierra Club John Muir Chapter, Grassroots Awareness Group, and the Madison Infoshop.
The public is invited to a film screening double-feature on the proposed Penokee iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin. The event will feature the Madison premier of the new highly-anticipated Al Jazeera Fault Lines documentary Wisconsin's Mining Standoff(produced by 371 Productions of Milwaukee), as well as a re-screening of Protect Our Future, the film directed by youth from the Bad River Indian Reservation and produced by UW-Madison Professor Patty Loew. Each film runs approximately 30 minutes. A panel discussion will follow featuring filmmakers from 371 Productions, Patty Loew, and Frank Koehn, President of the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin. Admission is free but $10 donation is suggested. All donations are appreciated and proceeds will benefit Bad River Legal Defense Fund and the Penokee Hills Education Project of the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin.
About the films:
WISCONSIN'S MINING STANDOFF
On March 11, 2013, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed legislation that rewrote the state's iron mining laws, paving the way for Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) to dig a $1.5 billion open-pit mine in the pristine woods of the Penokee mountain range. The mine, which could eventually reach 22-miles in length, provoked an immediate standoff between GTAC and its supporters and the tribes, residents, and political leaders intent on preserving the land and protecting the water from contamination. Fault Lines follows the unfolding movement against the mine and the political maneuverings that mine proponents are using to stop it.
PROTECT OUR FUTURE
This is a 30-minute documentary produced by three Bad River Ojibwe teenagers that examines the spiritual, cultural, and environmental impact of a proposed massive open-pit taconite mine at the headwaters of our tribe's ancient wild rice beds. The videographer is Jordan Principato, 14-years-old; the writer/narrator is Shania Jackson, 14-years-old; and the music composer is Ahpahnae Thomas, 15-years-old, who created an original score for the documentary. Bad River Tribal Chair Mike Wiggins introduces the documentary. Patty Loew, Ph.D., Bad River tribal member, is the group's technical adviser. The project was shot on a JVC GY HM 150 high definition camera and edited on Sony's Vegas Video Pro 11. Original music was composed using Sony Acid Music Loops. Thanks to the First Peoples Fund of Rapid City, South Dakota for funds to produce this documentary.