The Definitive List of River Movies

People often tell me that THE MEMORY OF FISH reminds them of A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT. Seeing one movie makes them want to watch the other. It always makes me smile, but it feels like an overly generous compliment to be compared to the 1992 classic. A big word enters my thought bubble when I think of that movie: Redford.

American Rivers has released The Definitive List of River Movies. It's an honor to see THE MEMORY OF FISH on it and in such great company. I'll let you guess the other movies that made the cut and I hope you get the chance to have a river movie marathon soon.

Read the full list here.

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Happy Holidays on Amazon!

THE MEMORY OF FISH is now available for rent + purchase.
Watch it with your friends and family this holiday season!

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

COMING SOON TO DVD, ITUNES + GOOGLE PLAY

One story like THE MEMORY OF FISH can change the story for many rivers.
THE MEMORY OF FISH made 2017 feel a little more hopeful – completing an award-winning film festival run, screening twice for The American Fisheries Society, raising $11K for The Collider’s climate internship program, and closing out the year with a Pacific Northwest film tour in support of American Rivers. No matter where or who gathers to see it, THE MEMORY OF FISH allows Dick Goin’s legacy of love and persistence to live on in audience members far from the Elwha River.
 
I’m proud of this inspiring, independent film and hope that you’ll share it with your friends and family.

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On Tour For American Rivers

I am proud to announce that THE MEMORY OF FISH will be on a Pacific Northwest film tour to support American Rivers!

THE MEMORY OF FISH film tour aims to inspire communities near rivers at risk, encourage people to engage in political action and citizen science, and equip the audience to support American Rivers, whether through financial donation, service, or volunteering. 

All film tour proceeds directly benefit American Rivers’ work in the Puget Sound-Columbia Basin. Tickets are now available HERE. 

Tour stops include:
10/25 PORTLAND: Clinton Street Theater
10/26 SEATTLE: Northwest Film Forum
11/8     BELLINGHAM: Pickford Film Center
11/9     SPOKANE: Magic Lantern on Main
11/11     OLYMPIA: Capitol Theater

Find out more on THE MEMORY OF FISH Facebook page under Events.

Extra special thanks to graphic designer Begonia Lopez for creating our awesome tour poster.

Rivers connect us. I hope to see you on tour!

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Hat tip, Sydney!

What a wonderful honor to be awarded BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM at the Sydney Indie Film Festival. Thank you to the film festival jury and staff. I first traveled to Sydney in 1993 for a study abroad program at UNSW, which included working on the southernmost coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot Island. Spending time as a young woman studying marine science in-on-under these waters was inspiring to say the least. I only wish I could have attended the Sydney Indie Film Festival this year, but I had a good excuse: I was rowing around the island of Manhattan to raise money for Rocking the Boat. (I like islands). As a scientist and a filmmaker, Australia has had a big impact on my life, so this award has great sentimental value. Hat tip, Sydney!

Pay it back. Pay it forward.

It feels really good when your work is used to pay it back to people like Tom Karl and pay it forward to the next generation of climate leaders. I think Dick Goin would be proud.

On Saturday, September 9th at 6PM, hundreds of people came to The Collider in Asheville, NC, to watch THE MEMORY OF FISH. The sold-out event raised over $11K for The Collider’s climate internship program. Many thanks to WLOS ABC 13, 103.3 AshevilleFM/Slumber Party on 103.3FM, Asheville Citizen-Times, MountainX, and science writer James Hrynyshyn for generating attention with great TV-radio-press coverage.

The Thomas R. Karl Internship Program was established to develop the next generation of leaders in climate science and services. Created in honor of Tom Karl upon his retirement as Director of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, this internship provides semester-long internships for undergraduates seeking to enter this growing field.

The evening was incredible, bringing people together who might not otherwise have been in the same room. The film was projected simultaneously onto three jumbo screens followed by a thoughtful Q+A led by Brett McCall. Every audience member departed with a Chinook Angler’s Pint that Karen and Ret Talbot designed especially for the event. More about these gorgeous Chinook glasses here.

Asheville is known as "Climate City" and my time there was a reminder that good things happen when people come together. Big thanks to The Collider’s staff for the critical work that they do and to Preston Davitt for spearheading this extraordinary event. Extra special thanks go out to sponsors: Hunter Subaru, Preston & Dennis Davitt, Metro Wines, Oskar Blues Brewery, Teague Natural Farms, Whole Foods Greenlife, AC Hotel Asheville Downtown, Deerfield Retirement Community, and the National Parks Conservation Association.

Learn more about The Collider at: https://thecollider.org/

Where once there were dams

With every new indicator of change for the Elwha, I find myself saying, "Dick told us this would happen." I only wish he was alive to see it. All of it.

Reporter Lynda Mapes, who can be seen interviewing Dick Goin in THE MEMORY OF FISH, has a new article in The Seattle Times entitled "At Elwha River, forests, fish and flowers where there were dams and lakes." The article features photos by John Gussman of lupine growing in what was once Lake Mills and data visualization describing Chinook runs past the old dam sites. With so much negative news these days, prepare to be inspired by the Elwha's second chance at life.

Read the full article HERE.

Lupine flood what used to be the former Lake Mills in 2017. The nitrogen-fixing flower is helping plants thrive. Photo by John Gussman.

Lupine flood what used to be the former Lake Mills in 2017. The nitrogen-fixing flower is helping plants thrive. Photo by John Gussman.

Swimming to Big Sky Country

I was thrilled when American Fisheries Society (AFS) asked to screen THE MEMORY OF FISH at their 2017 Western Division Meeting: “Change and Continuity: Celebrating 50 years of Fisheries in the West.”

The mission of AFS is “to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals.” Learn more about AFS.

With US environmental policies under review and a lot of hard work ahead, I'm proud that AFS chose to inspire their members by screening THE MEMORY OF FISH. Congratulations to the Western Division of AFS on 50 years of advancing science and protecting fisheries and aquatic resources.
 

 

 

Earth Day x 2

I'm still feeling pretty lucky to have the film at two festivals for Earth Day. On April 22, it was shown at the Roxie Theater for the San Francisco Green Film Festival (SFGFF) and at the Regal Hollywood 27 for the Nashville Film Festival, where it will screen again on April 29th.

Rachel Caplan, head of SFGFF, sent this great review, "It’s Not Easy Being Green: Food Activism at the 2017 SF Green Film Festival." Read the full article here.

Nashville Film Festival featured this fun video. Watch it here.

Thank you for the inspired audiences, San Francisco and Nashville!

 



 

 



 

40 eagles and a mouth

Screening for the hometown crowd of Port Angeles was truly incredible, but it's nothing compared to listening to the Elwha running free and seeing at least 40 bald eagles at the Elwha's mouth. As Dick would say, the river should be noisy – a madhouse.

A rite of passage

Making a film on the Olympic Peninsula is challenging. Twilight fans, fishermen, and Sasquatch researchers keep you on your toes. It’s an authentic, no BS kind of place where you must earn your keep, especially if you want to make a movie.

Pat Neal is a fishing guide who calls the Hoh River home. He's also a self-proclaimed "wilderness gossip columnist", writing for the Peninsula Daily News and creating hilarious radio shows. More about Pat HERE. I interviewed Pat years ago for the film because he was against the dam removal, and he and Dick had gone head-to-head over the years. Ultimately, the footage wasn't used, which had nothing to do with Pat, but we kept in touch.

Pat came to Peninsula College for our Magic of Cinema screening. I didn't know he was in the house and was going to write about the film. What would he think? What would he say? Here's his review, which feels like a rite of passage. Read the full review here.

What's left of the Glines Canyon Dam (April 9, 2017)

What's left of the Glines Canyon Dam (April 9, 2017)

Observation + Persistence

We wanted to do something special for the hometown crowd of Port Angeles coming to our Magic of Cinema screening at Peninsula College (see previous blog post). We brainstormed all sorts of ideas that might help ensure that the legacy of Dick Goin live on in our audience. Giving out suspenders like the ones Dick wore daily didn't seem quite right, but they were on the list too. Dick always told us that there were two keys to his life-long work: observation and persistence. And so, in the spirit of Dick Goin, we made these notebooks and gave them out to everyone at our April 7th screening. During the Little Theater Q+A that evening, one audience member passionately described the fight to get the Elwha dams down as an all-out civil war that ripped the community apart. He felt that Dick's notebooks were golden, simple things filled with wisdom that brought all sorts of people together around the dam problem. We hope that THE MEMORY OF FISH notebooks inspire future citizen scientists with a deep love for where they live.

A Magical Homecoming

I had no idea what to expect when Peninsula College (PC) asked to screen THE MEMORY OF FISH in their Magic of Cinema series, but I couldn't say no. Thanks to the foresight of our very own Emma Jones, PC took a risk and agreed to show the film simultaneously in two venues (Little Theater and Maier Performance Hall). This idea to juggle two venues was a little crazy and had never been done before on campus. Organizations also stepped up. American Rivers, North Olympic Land Trust, North Olympic Salmon Coalition, and Coastal Watershed Institute all sent representatives who set up information booths and joined us on stage for Q+As in both venues. Emma was right and the extra community coordination payed off. The Port Angeles hometown crowd showed up, selling out an unforgettable event.

PC has been a part of this film from the beginning. It was PC Professor Bruce Hattendorf who first introduced me to Emma Jones in 2010. It was PC that hosted the Elwha River Science Symposium September 15-16, 2011, where Dick Goin received a lifetime achievement award and spoke to an anxious crowd counting the hours for the dam removal project to kick off. And, it was in PC's Little Theater in 1983 that Dick Goin gave his legendary plea for the Elwha, the speech that was used throughout the film. Hearing Dick's voice again in the Little Theater was haunting and powerful – the magic of cinema, indeed.

Sincere thanks to Kate Reavey, Sean Gomez, and the PC staff for bringing THE MEMORY OF FISH home. The Peninsula Daily News covered the PC Magic of Cinema screening too. Read more about it HERE and HERE.

Behind The Scenes

One fun part of having your film on the festival circuit is getting to share your story too, especially with fellow filmmakers. Making films is hard – really, really, really hard. This film took me six years to make. People often ask, "Why did you make this film? How did you meet Dick Goin? Did you think the river would come back to life when you started the project? And, as a scientist, what inspired you to become a filmmaker?" I'm a fan of Q+As and talking about the storytelling process to find camaraderie in missteps and successes, and to learn big and small lessons for future projects. There's no sense in pretending documentary filmmaking is easy. Many thanks to the San Francisco Green Film Festival for expressing interest in my work and for conducting this interview. Read "Behind The Scenes: Filmmaker Jennifer Galvin" HERE. I'm proud that THE MEMORY OF FISH will screen at the San Francisco Green Film Festival on April 22nd for Earth Day.
 

After a long day shooting in-on-under the Elwha River.
Photo by the amazing Leah Hemberry Ricketts, Colchuck Media.

Opening Night at Picture Farm

Elwha to the East River! What an honor to be chosen as the opening night film on Friday, March 24th at Picture Farm Film Festival. I was especially excited about this opportunity because it meant that I could finally share the film with NY family and friends. Seeing that the film was made only about one mile away in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, screening at Picture Farm to a sold out crowd turned into a pretty special reunion for my team. The film was also able to shine a light on the work of American Rivers and inspire the audience to support them. Friday was a great night. And, it was sponsored by PBR, so the beer was flowing too.

On Sunday, I returned to the festival to moderate a Q+A panel for the environmental short films program, "Our Earth Like Never Before." The lineup included Being Hear (in attendance: director Matt Mikkelsen), Forget Shorter Showers, EDDI (in attendance: three of the Samsung "Makers Against Drought Challenge" winners), Into the Streets, and Disobedience (in attendance: director Kelly Nyks). This grouping of films and filmmakers reminded me to cut through the noise in the environmental arena by better using tools of listening, disrupting, innovating – and, storytelling.

Big thanks to Picture Farm for providing a meaningful platform for independent films and filmmakers.

March with Yo-Yo Ma

I'm looking forward to bringing THE MEMORY OF FISH back to the Cape this weekend. It's especially fun to see my film playing with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Landfill Harmonic in the Woods Hole Film Festival's Film Falmouth Series. Quite a screening lineup for March!

If you're near Cape Cod this weekend, join me at Falmouth Academy at 7PM on Saturday, March 18th. More information and tickets HERE.

O Canada!

I'm headed to Vancouver this week for Salt Spring Film Festival. I haven't been to British Columbia for many years (my last trip may have involved a Vanagon and a BC/DC show...) and I can't wait to return. Salt Spring Film Festival is a true indie festival with an activist spirit. The lineup of films this year is incredible, including Tickling Giants by my friend Sara Taksler. I've heard great things about this festival from fellow filmmakers, which counts for a lot. And, Salt Spring Island looks beautiful. If you're looking for an excuse to come to BC, this weekend is the time to do it! More box office and ticket info HERE

Photo: Marie Goin

 

 

Goin is Golden

It's always exciting when the film heads to a landlocked state. It reminds me that rivers connect us all, coast to coast. If you're in Colorado this weekend, take a break from skiing and head to Golden. THE MEMORY OF FISH is playing at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival on Friday, February 24th in the CEFF Theater at the American Mountaineering Center. Thank you, Colorado!

Screening info HERE and HERE
Tickets HERE

Concrete Love

Russ Ricketts is an incredible underwater photographer/videographer living in Leavenworth, WA. He runs River Snorkeling as well as Colchuck Media with his wife, outdoor adventure and lifestyle photographer Leah Hemberry Ricketts. There's nobody better to snorkel a river with than Russ. I know this because he took a leap of faith to meet me after the last chunks of the Elwha's dams were removed. I wanted to get in the freshly free-flowing river to shoot, but the conditions told me that I shouldn't do it alone. All sorts of debris from the dam removal was moving downstream and the water was murky. Russ was on board to jump in with me and he'll be a friend for life because of it. It was easy for us to find chunks of concrete from the dam. I cheered every time I saw one. Inspired by Mikal Jakubal, the activist who painted the crack and "Elwha be free" on the Elwha Dam in 1987, Russ painted one of the pieces he found. I never thought I'd have so much love for a piece of concrete. Thank you, Russ!
Photo (left): Russ Ricketts. Photo (right): Mikal Jakubal.