Bozeman Doc Series Earth Day Event: Folktales

The annual Bozeman Doc Series Earth Day Event, presented in association with Gallatin Valley Earth Day has become one of the headline events in Bozeman during the worldwide celebration of nature every April. Each year, the event is sponsored by local conservation organizations, and combines a reception and a screening of a brand new documentary focused on the human relationship with the natural world.

Past events have featured screenings of the critically acclaimed documentaries River, The Path of the Panther, and 399: Queen of the Tetons. This year’s event will present the Montana premiere of the brand new documentary, Folktales, one of the hits of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The reception before the film, beginning at 6pm in the Emerson Ballroom, is an opportunity to check in with the local conservation community. It features food, drink and music, as well as Earth Day information and opportunities from event sponsors. It also features the annual Bozeman Doc Series silent auction with items from sponsors such as Red Tractor Pizza, Bozeman Spirits, Reintegrative Massage, Plonk and many more.

In Norse mythology, the three “Norns” are powerful deities who weave the threads of fate and shape humans’ futures. Today, Pasvik Folk High School in northern Norway aims to produce a similar life-changing effect on its students. Folktales tells the timely and emotional story of teenagers who choose to spend an unconventional “gap year” learning to dog sled and survive the Arctic wilderness, in hopes of finding connection and meaning in the modern world. Guided by patient teachers and a yard full of Alaskan huskies, they discover their own potential and develop deep relationships with the land, animals and humans around them. For nearly two centuries, Scandinavian folk high schools – some of which are rooted in the lessons of Norse mythology – have emphasized the power of nature, simplicity, and community to transform young lives.

“We hope we can wake up your Stone Age brain, ” Pasvik instructor Iselin tells her students. Through intimate verité storytelling and exhilarating cinematography, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady examine humans on the cusp of adulthood, finding themselves at the edge of the world. Folktales world-premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim.

 
“Visually arresting…deeply moving” -Sundance Film Festival
“A gentle film with emotional power” -Roger Ebert
“A heartwarming message about the capacity of people to discover their true selves” -Screen International