Chasing Water 2011
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Pete McBride Photography
Directed by Pete McBride
DVD, color, 18 min.
Jr. High - General Adult
Environmental Studies, Geography
Date Entered: 02/19/2013
Reviewed by Tom Ipri, Drexel UniversityOne of the main strengths of Chasing Water is its brevity. Chasing Water packs a great deal into a brief 18 minutes. At times, it feels a bit cursory but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ideal for classroom use, this film raises generates questions and curiosity in the viewer which would be a great transition into additional research.
Photographer Pete McBride created this film out of a quest to travel the Colorado River from the Rocky Mountain National Park to the Gulf of California. The film alternates between his rafting on the river with a friend and his flying overhead with his father and other pilots he hires. Throughout, the images are elegant and stunning.
Along the way, McBride provides facts and insights at some of the main locations along the way. He stops in Las Vegas where the water company helps citizens replace water thirsty lawns with natural plants. He describes Lake Havasu where water is diverted 242 miles to Los Angeles, CA and 336 miles to Tucson, AZ. He observes that the Colorado River has become “just plumbing.”
Toward the end, McBride rejoins his friend to raft to the end of the river but they find that the river dries up miles from the gulf, ending in garbage filled muck. He compares his findings to a journal written in 1929 of an explorer who made a similar trek and describes the vast, thriving delta he encountered.
Chasing Water is a beautiful looking film which provides a great example of the effects humans have on the environment. Without being overly didactic, it raises awareness of current water issues that will have enormous impact in the near future.
Awards
- Best Short Mountain Film, Banff Mountain Film Festival
- Most Inspiring Story, 5Point Film Festival
- Best Environmental Documentary, Mountainfilm Festival, Telluride
- Water for All Award, CMS Vatavaran Film Festival, Delhi
- Best Documentary, Clearwater Film Festival
- Audience Award, Short Film, EcoFocus Film Festival, Athens, GA
- Best Environmental Film, Frozen Film Festival, San Francisco