Patagonia Presents the World Premiere of “DamNation”

Patagonia recently announced that it is presenting the world premiere of DamNation at the SXSW. This film explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers.

Dam removal has moved beyond the fictional Monkey Wrench Gang to go mainstream. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. DamNation's majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.

A special panel at the world premiere of the film on March 10 at SXSW will feature Patagonia Founder/Owner Yvon Chouinard; DamNation director Travis Rummel; Joy Howard, Vice President of Marketing for Patagonia; and, Jeremy Boxer, Creative Director of Vimeo. The panel will be moderated by esteemed indie film journalist and digital innovator Eugene Hernandez, Director of Digital Strategy at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Chouinard states, “I'm proud to have been involved. Time and again, I've witnessed how removing an unnecessary dam is the responsible and, eventually, celebrated choice. Ben, Matt and Travis show us why, and they've made a beautiful film.”

DamNation is set for U.S. theatrical release in New York and select markets in April/May, coupled with a nine-city tour of regional film premieres, and followed by a tour to all Patagonia stores nationwide on May 29. The film will be available for pre-buy on the DamNation website through Vimeo On Demand in March, and will be released on Vimeo, along with iTunes and a number of other digital platforms in June.

DamNation is produced by Patagonia in association with a Stoecker Ecological & Felt Soul Media Production and is set for theatrical release in select cities beginning in April.

DamNation, 87 min, U.S., 2014. Directed by Ben Knight and Travis Rummel. Produced by Matt Stoecker and Travis Rummel. Editor: Ben Knight. Director of Photography: Ben Knight. Director of Underwater Photography: Matt Stoecker. Associate Producer: Beda Calhoun. Executive Producer: Yvon Chouinard. Featuring: David James Duncan, David Montgomery, Elmer Crow, Rebecca Miles Jim Waddell, Floyd Dominy, Katie Lee, Lee Spencer and Mikal Jakubal.

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