Film Info

​20 minutes
Pongo Media Productions
Available for Free AND Ticketed Events!
Synopsis:
Experience Greenland through the eyes of Artist Zaria Forman, Nasa scientist, John Sonntag and Inuit Elder Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq "Uncle."  Zaria travels to Greenland for inspiration for her next body of work, and to visit the fjord where she spread her mother’s ashes.  Sonntag is the lead scientist for Operation IceBridge - he and his crew work tirelessly gathering information on the ice sheet.  Uncle is an inuit elder who speaks for the ice. His elders saw the “big ice” melting for the first time in the 1960s.  The intersection of art, culture and science in a region defined by climate change. 

Action Items

• Learn more about operation Ice Bridge here
  
• Take a closer look at Zaria'a art here

Filmmaker Q&A - Jenny Nichols

● What inspired this story?
I was introduced to Zaria Forman through a mutual friend, Keith Ladzinski and within minutes of meeting her I couldn’t wait to make a film about the inspiration process behind her breathtaking art. She invited me on a trip to Greenland to fly with NASA’s Operation IceBridge and help her gather visual imagery to inform her next body of work. I think those three factors - NASA, Greenland, Zaria - were enough inspiration for several films even before we hit the ground.

● Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film.
A challenge that is often faced while making films about conservation is finding characters that are relatable, good on camera - meaning they are not shy and tongue tied, but excited and able to express their message. This is not meant to be a jab at scientists or people working tirelessly to advance conservation agendas. I choose the side of the camera I am on for a reason, and that is because my tool for telling stories is my filmmaking not my ability to communicate effecting in front of the camera :). I was lucky to have a character that jumped off the screen in Zaria.

● How do you approach science storytelling?
It is important to me to make my stories relatable so that the audience isn’t immediately overwhelmed or out of their element. I want my films to reach people who are not part of the choir and who do not necessarily know the things a scientific or conservation community would take for granted as common knowledge.

● What impact do you hope this film will have?
I hope that, like Zaria’s artwork, this film can bring the experience and awe of seeing icebergs and glaciers in all of their majesty to an audience that might not otherwise get to see them...and by seeing their immeasurable beauty and strength they (the viewers) are then inspired to care about this landscape. A landscape that is not only affected by climate change but also affecting so many people with the release of ice and thus rising sea levels.

● Were there any surprising or meaningful moments that you'd like to share?
We had a day of bad weather in kangerlussuaq Greenland and were lucky enough to run into Zaria’s friend Angaangaq “Uncle.” He is an intuit elder who uses his stories to try to ‘melt the ice in the heart of man’ and inspires people to act and change their ways.