My short documentary film “Turtles on the Hill” about diamondback terrapins and the Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project has premiered at the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital!
I wrote and directed this film in partnership with producer and editor Jason Jaacks, a National Geographic Explorer, independent filmmaker/photographer and professor of journalism at URI. I originally connected with Jason in the first year of my master’s program at URI. He gave a guest lecture on science storytelling in my Public Engagement with Science course with Dr. Sunshine Menezes. Feeling inspired about our respective work, Jason and I made a plan to create a short film about the community science group and the terrapins I was researching.
The project became grander, more time-consuming, and more beautiful than I ever expected through the year and a half of production. We collected hours of footage across the seasons and went through many iterations of the story arc. Eventually, I took to heart Jason’s lesson about producing the story you want versus the story you have. I put myself into the story more, leaning into my love for the animals, the people, the landscape, and the ways I hoped to communicate about-to-and-for them. I’m so proud of the result. I hope it resonates with you.
You can view the film via the DCEFF festival. I’ll update with a new permalink after the festival! https://watch.eventive.org/…/61f850f2f3483a007632e9c4
I’m planning a local screening at the Barrington Public Library for April 26th, 2022 at 7pm. Stay tuned for details on that event!